by Finian Cunningham
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
crossposted from Irish Times
March 19, 2011
Manama
The Bahraini pro-democracy movement suffered another crushing defeat yesterday when state forces demolished the Pearl Monument in the capital’s financial district.
The 40-metre sculpture had for four weeks served as a focal point for tens of thousands of demonstrators who were camping out there every night, calling for the replacement of the monarchy with a democratic constitution.
Last Wednesday morning, unarmed civilian protesters at the Pearl were attacked by security forces from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
According to medical sources, at least five protesters were killed at the Pearl during the morning raid, which has sparked an international outcry, including condemnation from Amnesty International and other human rights groups.
Pro-government newspapers claimed two policemen were killed during the raid, but the father of one of these victims, Ahmed Abdullah Hassan, from Hamad town, yesterday denied that his son was ever a member of the security forces.
The ongoing military crackdown is targeting mainly Shia villages on the outskirts of Manama and other towns.
The village of Sanabis, west of Manama, was yesterday surrounded by up to a dozen tanks with turrets pointed at the low-rise apartment blocks.
Residents were wary of talking to media, fearing reprisals from the heavily armed troops, most of whom were wearing balaclavas. “They will kill us,” said one resident nervously.
With dozens of injured protesters taken into custody this week, it is hard to establish the actual death toll, said one senior medic.
The main public hospital in Manama, Salmaniya, and other health centres were attacked by state forces and have now been put under military command.
One nursing supervisor at Salmaniya said that staff were physically assaulted by state forces and detained overnight. One consultant, Dr Ali Ekri, was arrested and his whereabouts are still not known, according to his family and colleagues.
Many of the injured in Salmaniya were removed by state forces and moved to an army hospital in Riffa, said medical staff.
The Irish Times witnessed the evacuation of hundreds of patients by armed military from Salmaniya on Thursday. All but one exit door at the hospital was blocked by armed soldiers and evacuees were being screened by officers as they emerged in a single file from the remaining main exit. Some of the patients were being put on ministry of interior buses.
Meanwhile, the family of one of the dead from the Pearl dawn raid, 32-year-old Jaffar Maioof, yesterday told how he was cut down by troops. His uncle described how, only minutes before the shooting began, Jaffar had held his hands above his head, saying “selmia, selmia” (“peaceful, peaceful”).
Then the soldiers started firing with machineguns, hitting him fatally in the back. Attempts to help the wounded man were blocked by troops who fired on an ambulance, said witnesses.
Finian Cunningham is a journalist and musician www.myspace.com/finiancunninghammusic
***
[DS added the videos.]
Bahrain razes Pearl Square to ground
PressTVGlobalNews on Mar 18, 2011
Bahraini authorities have razed to the ground Manama’s Pearl Square, which is considered the epicenter of anti-government protests in the country.
***
Press TV journalist deported from Bahrain
presstvlondon on Mar 19, 2011
A Press TV journalist has accused the Bahraini authorities of intimidation after being deported from the country. Johnny Miller had his equipment confiscated and was put on a plane after reporting about the revolution and the Saudi invasion of the country. Roshan Muhammed Salih reports from London.
see
Bahrain: Hospitals and health centres targeted in attacks by Finian Cunningham
Slaughter in Bahrain – Nerve Gas Used against Protesters by Finian Cunningham
Bahrain: U.S. Backs Saudi Military Intervention, Conflict With Iran by Rick Rozoff
Thousands of Saudi troops cross into Bahrain after weekend of violence by Finian Cunningham
Dandelion Salad 
Pingback: Bahrain: Claims of Civilian Killings, Disappearances, Torture, Chemical Warfare Agents and Organ Theft From Victims of State Violence « Dandelion Salad
Pingback: Unrest and violence keep shaking the Arab world – interview with Finian Cunningham « Dandelion Salad
Pingback: Husain Abdulla: U.S. Defends Bahrain Dictatorship « Dandelion Salad
I’m impressed that you posted this, I was very moved by the destruction when it happened. So often the monuments are the victim of wars & revolutions, no mention of the sculptor. Regardless of what one may think of the esthetics, how they got this thing to stand at all, a marvel of pre-stressed/post-tensioned cast concrete was a testament to inspiration & ingenuity. Long is the sordid history of the destruction of the great monuments in the name of politics. Bring back the Bamiyan Buddha.
@barefootboy – I understand your statement well and accept your statement completely!
Otherwise turn your mind to the sight of the monument:
It wasn’t built for eternity as the pyramids or the Delphi theatre was! I think, that after 1950 wasn’t built any What role could be greater for a monument or any other nonessential construction, than that of the martyr?
The significance of old-fashioned gods is different! – It would fill more than a whole site to refer to them and it’s always difficult to decide about the cultural and psychological weight of unused gods from the perspective of the various involved parties.
I don’t understand anything you’re saying.
This sculpture wasn’t about gods, it was built in the early 80’s representing the pearl trade of Bahrain from the times before the oil ruined the pristine waters.
Its construction was quite remarkable for a masonry non-monolithic monument of such size & construction. It is absurd that it was torn down over its symbolism.
While the great pyramids haven’t succumbed because they were just too huge, somehow the Great Ziggurat of Babel got destroyed by Alex the idiot.
In the 6th century, Christians destroyed much of the great works of Hellenistic brilliance of the Parthenon over a religious crusade imposed upon the empirical populace by the Roman sword, calling it ‘Pagan Pornification’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqpF5oL-y2Y).
In the 20th Century, the Bamiyan Buddha was destroyed by the taliban, another monotheistic disaster.
The Pearl Monument was a secular sculpture, torn down over idiotic infighting in an absurd sectarian corner of a corrupt world of abusive hateful tyrants.
None of the many great wonders of the world destroyed over ideology benefitted their cause.
Whether tearing down Lenin, Saddam or blowing up Buddha, these were all visionary efforts by many hands over many years and deserved to stand as a testament to the greatest works humanity can make.
People should resolve their ideological idiocy with diplomacy & discussion & leave the sculptures alone.