RT on Feb 13, 2014
Image by Al Jazeera English via Flickr
Shia villages outside Bahrain’s capital have been left shrouded in tear gas after fierce clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators. The protest movement is marking three years of its uprising against the ruling Sunni monarchy, which has been met with a relentless crackdown and thousands of arrests. RT’s Alexey Yaroshevsky reports on the long-running standoff.
READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/4mqipf
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In Bahrain, regime forces use tear gas, rubber bullets against anti-govt. protesters
PressTV Videos on Feb 13, 2014
In Bahrain, regime forces use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse pro-democracy protesters in several villages across the country.
The protesters were gathering to mark the third anniversary of their uprising against the Al Khalifa regime before security forces began to attack them. During the last three years, pro-democracy activists have been under constant pressure. Most of them have been jailed and subjected to brutal torture practices. Protests began back in February 20-11 against the decades-long rule of the Al Khalifa regime. They’ve also been calling for democratic reforms. But regime forces have responded by a heavy-handed military crackdown. Scores of people have been killed and thousands arrested since the beginning of the revolution.
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Beirut conference condemns Bahrain violent crackdown
PressTV Videos on Feb 13, 2014
Human rights activists have gathered in Beirut to highlight the Bahraini regime heavy-handed crackdown on protesters as the tiny Persian Gulf state is marking the third anniversary of its revolution.
In the Third International Conference to mark the anniversary of the popular revolt; activists, journalists, scholars, and international organizations officials discussed the human violations in Bahrain and the sufferings of Bahrainis in the hands of Al Khalifa regime. International activists who have visited Bahrain confirmed the regime’s abuse of nationals in their prisons. While Amnesty International representative expressed concern about Bahraini authorities targeting peaceful activists in Bahrain, the UNHCR confirmed the cooperation of civil society and the regime. In a communique issued at the end of the conference, participants called on the International community to help defend Bahrain’s human rights and punish those involved in committing violations. They also called for an end to arms sale to Bahrain as weapons are used by the Al Khalifa regime to oppress the pro-democracy protesters. Since February of 2011, the regime has cracked down on peaceful demonstrators demanding political reforms. Tens of people have been killed and hundreds were imprisoned. for the third year, activists and journalists from across the world have gathered here in Beirut to condemn the Al-Khalifa regime’s brutal crackdown on the Bahraini people.
see also:
Several injured in Bahraini regime crackdown on protesters
see
New Law Makes ‘Offending’ Bahrain King Punishable By Up to 7 Years in Prison
How Absurd Can It Get? US-UK Defending Dictatorships by Finian Cunningham
Ali Al Taweel’s Death Sentence and Torture
Bahrain Regime Waging War On Its Own People by Finian Cunningham
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Maybe this notion of uprising and protest is obsolete, and simply plays into the hands of those who love to suppress revolt. As they say, like so many ducks in a barrel.
Perhaps Bahrainis should try a different tactic, and praise the King by emulating everything he does, & become a nation of cloned Kings.
Once everybody is just like their imbecile Leader King, the absurdity of his self-adulation may become more apparent.
If he decides to persecute his devoted supporters ~ who must be believable, not mockers ~ his goons may be compromised and confused as they will in effect be abusing his own self-image.
Something may short circuit in his brain and those of his loyal thugs, & the whole regime might collapse.
What then? Presumably the Swarm of Kings will have to select the most Kingly among them to represent their Royal Rights. They could even discover they have invented a new form of political egalitarianism, Sovereign Representation.
This may sound crazy, but it is not intended to be a joke.
I’m not sure you understand the level of oppression in Bahrain.
See:
https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/new-law-makes-offending-bahrain-king-punishable-by-up-to-7-years-in-prison/
In regards to protests being futile, watch this short clip from “We Are Many – New trailer for film on biggest protest in history”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZr6TML2mYc
Change comes from social movements. A percentage of the people must be organized.
Even the C I A and US govt understand this as they foment “color revolutions” in nations that they want a regime change. Look at the Ukraine and Venezuela today.
Thanks for this Lo. My suggestion was not entirely facetious, & I’m in no way writing off protest as futile, only concerned that more innocent people are likely to be brutally damaged and am just loathe to hear of yet further escalating cruel measures, as though the entire Arab world had not had enough & were now the most backward culture on Earth.
Gene Sharpe may have have covered some classic options for tactical protest, but these can be tilted in either direction to order, it would seem; so the greatest error in my view is to entrap any society in that polarizing vice of Western-style ideological adversarialism.
I was trying to envisage something a bit more psychologically subtle, innovative, bizarre and theatrically subliminal that could unhinge some of the default mechanisms that perpetuate these cycles of false optimism, exhilaration and prescribed defeat. Some Arab communities actually prefer enlightened monarchy to the chaos of conflicted opinion. Its surely a question of us advocating institutional efficacy, accountability and judicious oversight ~ also genuine anthropological insight and a prior understanding of the Arab notion of consultation.
What I’ve heard about Tunisia lately may be encouraging, but I firmly believe that Islamic societies need a dramatic internal metamorphosis as the way things are being orchestrated by Western christist & zionist operatives at present does not bode well ~ besides, how can we confidently preach change for others from such deeply imperfect perspectives of cultural bondage to dominant corporate prejudice?
I do not believe socialism has the deeper meaning any more that was once ascribed to it in the days when unions really could make a difference. Some principles may be abiding, but time and the universe do not stand still. It is not a simple task to change the world, but perhaps childlike notions can occasionally breakthrough the most perverse of “adult” sets.
Thanks, David, you made some good points.
Well, first thing we need to do is change ourselves, then go from there.
Thanks, all change is challenging even more so when necessary ~ I’m running to stand still here since the heavy weather…will read that post and try to address my creeping sense of foreboding at the present.
Chris Hedges and Chomsky et al. alert us to the grim facts, the hidden connections ~ I do not envisage a saner, more transparent world until we can rely on enlightened, influential & effective new institutions with a clear mandate to regulate unbridled opportunism…we need very strong medicine to shift the gravitational inertia (or planetary will) in that direction…