Police in Bahrain clash with protesters
By REEM KHALIFA – 1 day ago
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Riot police in the capital of Bahrain used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters angry with perceived government discrimination against the Shiite majority.
Friday’s clash came after a peaceful demonstration earlier in the day by a crowd of about 12,000 Bahrainis, said Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohamad Bin Dina.
After the demonstration ended, hundreds of protesters, many wearing masks, set tires on fire and blocked streets in one neighborhood.
Police in Bahrain clash with protesters
By REEM KHALIFA – 1 day ago
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Riot police in the capital of Bahrain used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters angry with perceived government discrimination against the Shiite majority.
Friday’s clash came after a peaceful demonstration earlier in the day by a crowd of about 12,000 Bahrainis, said Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohamad Bin Dina.
After the demonstration ended, hundreds of protesters, many wearing masks, set tires on fire and blocked streets in one neighborhood.
Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the area as helicopters hovered overhead. No casualties or arrests were reported, Bin Dina said.
Economic disparities between the ruling Sunni elite and the poorer majority have contributed to feelings of marginalization among Shiites, who have waged an occasionally violent campaign against the government.
Many at Friday’s peaceful demonstration waved banners protesting the “granting of citizenship for political reasons,” a reference to an alleged government practice of giving citizenship to Sunnis from other countries such as Syria and Yemen.
Although it was not clear why the masked men were rioting, some of them carried posters for political activists arrested earlier this week by government security forces.
Three activists were arrested Monday after allegedly refusing to answer summons for questioning linked to arrests last month of 14 Bahrainis for allegedly plotting attacks in Manama. The three were later charged with promoting a coup “through terrorism.” One activist has been released but banned from traveling while the other two were still in custody.
The tiny island kingdom is a close American ally and hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
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