Anti-poverty march vow by activists
By TARIQ KHONJI
Published: 21st April 2007
ACTIVISTS will hold their third march of the month against poverty today, despite earlier interventions by police. The event, being organised by the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), is part of a month-long campaign of weekly marches.
This latest march will call for economic rights for the villages of the Central Governorate, including Sitra, Al Eker and Nuwaidrat.
It is being held in association with the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, the Unemployment Committee and other groups.
BYSHR president Mohammed Al Maskati said that the event would go ahead even if police tried to stop it like they did with their first two marches, one in the villages along the Budaiya Highway and other in Malkiya, Karzakan and Dumistan.
Anti-poverty march vow by activists
By TARIQ KHONJI
Published: 21st April 2007
ACTIVISTS will hold their third march of the month against poverty today, despite earlier interventions by police. The event, being organised by the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), is part of a month-long campaign of weekly marches.
This latest march will call for economic rights for the villages of the Central Governorate, including Sitra, Al Eker and Nuwaidrat.
It is being held in association with the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, the Unemployment Committee and other groups.
BYSHR president Mohammed Al Maskati said that the event would go ahead even if police tried to stop it like they did with their first two marches, one in the villages along the Budaiya Highway and other in Malkiya, Karzakan and Dumistan.
“Police intervened the first two times as well, but we regrouped somewhere else and continued,” he said.
“We will do it peacefully because we do not want to clash in any way with the police, but we are determined to go ahead.”
The first week, police told Mr Al Maskati and his supporters that the reason the march was being blocked was because the BYSHR was licensed as a youth society by the General Organisation of Youth and Sports and could not take part in political activities.
The second time they were told that the march should be delayed because it coincided with the Formula One race.
“We are not against the F1 race at all and we do not wish to hurt it in any way because we do realise that events like these can support the economy,” he said.
“But we do think that the F1 currently mainly benefits the rich and the prosperity doesn’t filter down enough. The whole point of our marches is to call for better distribution of wealth.”
The marches aim to highlight the issues of unemployment, dilapidated housing, inflation, high cost of living and poverty, among others.
The event will begin at 3.30pm at the Sitra Central Market roundabout.
© Gulf Daily News
