Middle East Revolutions: Current Bahrain protests getting violent

[Kuya]

I hate it how when this sort of shit happens, you have to fight against both misogyny and racism. In this case islamophobia.

You get fucks going on about how she deserved it or what was she doing in such a dangerous place (not a question you need to ask male reporters apparently) and another group goes on about how savage these arabs/muslims are.

And then the lack of coverage of the protests in the Middle East is also annoying. Pretty much got to rely on democracy now and AJE.

[Mistress Stowastiq]

I hate it how when this sort of shit happens, you have to fight against both misogyny and racism. In this case islamophobia.

You get fucks going on about how she deserved it or what was she doing in such a dangerous place (not a question you need to ask male reporters apparently) and another group goes on about how savage these arabs/muslims are.

And then the lack of coverage of the protests in the Middle East is also annoying. Pretty much got to rely on democracy now and AJE.

It is as if all logical thought about human behavior escapes them when they comment and then they go back to thriving, depending on the precious information that these risk taking journalists and reporters provide to us.

I would like to think and I am naive for doing so, that people could actually squander enough intelligence to not make blanket assessments and Glenn Beckian conclusions about what religion the rapists practiced.

We are lucky to have the basic technology that allows us to get the news from every day citizens so we do not entirely have to depend on those professionals but I don't take their work for granted.

If journalists stay away in fear every time a repressive regime uses brutality to get them to do just that, we would be left with our ignorance of what really goes on in the world instead of being informed.

@Kuya You are right about AJE and DNow. Sometimes it is hard to watch them though, the shock of realizing just how much we are shielded from when we watch the majority of mainstream news.

But it is nice to have a choice.




Egyptian women's issues raised by Logan case
Threat of violence against women remains real, rights advocates say
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41630159...deastn_africa/

Bahrain military moves in after police storm protest camp
At least 2 dead as authorities regain control of main square; nation on lockdown
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41632742...deastn_africa/

[BardonGaruda]

Update on Bahrain situation and how riot police moved on protesters in the middle of the night while they slept. On a side not there's also concern about the opening race of the Formula 1 championship to be held in Bahrain in March, including testing a week or two before the race.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12495733

Bahrain protests banned as military tightens grip

Protests have been banned in Bahrain and the military has been ordered to tighten its grip after the violent removal of anti-government demonstrators, state TV reports.

The army would take every measure necessary to preserve security, the interior ministry said.

Three people died and 231 were injured when police broke up the main protest camp, said Bahrain's health minister.

The unrest comes amid a wave of protest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Bahrain's demonstrators want wide-ranging political reforms and had been camped out in the capital, Manama, since Tuesday.

MPs resign

The announcement on state television said the army had taken control of "key parts" of the city.

The capital has been effectively shut down, with tanks, army patrols and military checkpoints on key streets and helicopters deployed overhead.

Barbed wire has been erected on roads leading to the main protest area, Pearl Square, and the interior ministry has warned people to stay off the streets.

A ministry spokesman said: "The security forces have stressed that they will take every strict measure and deterrent necessary to preserve security and general order."

Protesters and opposition politicians expressed outrage at the violence of the crackdown.

A leader of the leading minority Shia opposition, Abdul Jalil Khalil, said 18 MPs were resigning in protest.

Ibrahim Sharif, of Bahrain's secular Waad party, told the BBC the protests would continue.

"We are going to do what's necessary to change this into a democratic country, even if some of us lose our lives," he said.

"We want a proper, functioning, constitutional democracy."

The demonstrators say they also want political prisoners to be released, more jobs and housing and the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, who has been in office for 40 years.

Mr Sharif said the riot police had moved into Pearl Square at about 0300 (2400 GMT) as people were sleeping.

He said he had seen at least 100 riot police on one side of the square and hundreds of people running away down side roads.

One protester, Mohamed, told the BBC the attack had been "horrifying".

"They should have used water hoses at first instead of using rubber bullets and other prohibited weapons. There were women and children who were terrified by the attack."

Bahrain's authorities defended their actions.

Interior ministry spokesman Brig Tariq Hassan al-Hassan said some protesters had left quietly but others "refused to obey the law and that led to interference to make them leave".

He said the security forces had "been keen to communicate with the protesters through public figures to end the sit-in peacefully" but that some had "exploited this tolerant atmosphere".

But many protesters said there had been no warning about the raid.

On Thursday morning there were angry scenes outside Manama's main hospital, Salmaniya, as hundreds of people gathered, some answering calls to donate blood and others defacing images of the Bahraini royal family.

'Exercise restraint'

The crackdown has caused unease in the West. Bahrain is a key UK and US ally and hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the violent clashes, calling on Bahrain's government to "exercise restraint".

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are to hold an extraordinary meeting in Bahrain on Thursday.

Bahrain's foreign ministry said the council was "expected to announce their support for the [Bahraini] government in security, defence and politically".

Since independence from the UK in 1971, tensions between the Sunni elite and the less affluent Shia have frequently caused civil unrest. Shia groups say they are marginalised, subject to unfair laws, and repressed.

The conflict lessened in 1999 when Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa became emir. He began a cautious process of democratic reform. In 2002, he proclaimed himself king and landmark elections were held.

But the opposition boycotted the polls because the appointed upper chamber of parliament was given equal powers to the elected lower chamber.

In a rare TV appearance on Tuesday, Sheikh Hamad expressed regret about the deaths of protesters and said he would continue with reform.

[octopus]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...656309184.html

The separation and assault lasted for roughly 20 to 30 minutes, said a person familiar with the matter, who added that it was "not a rape." A CBS News spokesman declined to comment beyond the statement.

[Mistress Stowastiq]

The conference with the ministers in Bahrain was upsetting. They do not do a very good job of convincing the public.

Any translators here might want to see this tweet:

AliveIn Speak To Tweet
| Translators needed to help subtitle videos from #Yemen, #Bahrain, and #Libya. E-mail us at [email protected]
4 minutes ago

[donnie]

what is happening in bahrain is very different as i am from bahrain. The news is being very biased, as they didnt see the difference between the foundations of revolution in egypt and in bahrain.

to compare:

1- egyptian revolution was from all sort of ethnic and religious groups, in bahrain it was purely the shiaat, no sunnis or liberals involved.
2- egyptian revolution had the army and most of the people backing it up. while in bahrain, all of the army, and most of the people are against it. ( at the same day, there were pro-government protests that are equal or even higher in numbers then the ones in lulu square) and tomorrow there will be a major protest against the shiaat party ( al-wifag)
3- the revolution in egypt stemmed from having 42% of the population under poverty line, while in bahrain 33% of the population have high income, and another 33% of middle class, there is not a single person in poverty line as there is a program for un-employment as you receive about 600$ a month if u cant find a job.

this fundamental difference shows how secular the protest have become, before the protest began the shiaat mosques were saying that people are mortyers if they die on hand of police, and they should not listen and die for their cause. they gathered many people including me for raising some issues to the government ( as we do have parliment that is no controlled by government, and we do have democratic systems in place). somehow once i went there, the leaders were all shiaat religious leaders, and the chants were very secular as if you are in shiaat mosque. and they urge people to die, I was pissed off and decided to leave it and knew then it will not go well.

it reminded me of the islamic revolution of iran in 1797, where khomaini hi-jacked the democratic revolution and turned it to a radical islamic one, not only that , he killed and erased all the parties that started the democratic revolution. and also those same religious leaders have a very bad history with bahrain with links to the islamic revolution regime.

the tl'dr version: this is not a revolution , this is a movement that got hi-jacked by iranian cells. just watch tomorrow march for the pro-government. and check how democratic bahrain is if its not the most democratic country in middle east.


Videos:

1- while their iranian cells tells the media that they were asleep at night . this video shows their secular chant at 3 am before the police hit them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojkHMnpGd4E

2- disturbing video, basically explaining that the police gave them chance to leave. and also shows the wounds of swords and knifes used on police, the hizbollah flags ( hizbollah militiants were cought in previous years trying to get into bahrain)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6B02BDY6kg

3- video for pro-goverment protests:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiN3sZxdgXM

i will keep uploading videos here once i found them, there are more videos of pro-government marches. a video showing black flags , hizbollah flags in some of the shiiat marches

more:
pictures posted, saying its sword. not reliable source though
http://srv.bahrainforums.com/up/img/...317b254f38.jpg

[Kuya]

lol

[Kuya]

Bahrain is fundamentally a monarchy. The ruling family is sunni, while the majority of the population in Bahrain is shia. Like Irak under Saddam.

[donnie]

bahrain while said monarchy , its as close as it gets to true democracy within middle east. The king have given all the powers out to parliament which is is in fact as u said run by the major shiiats. he did put safeguards though as he can veto, but he has never used it since 10 years ago. I think the safeguard is good considering the fact a western democracy will not run well under developing social structure, once we have full civil society,then and only then it can be implemented.

its chicken and egg story anyways which drives what first democracy or a civil society, but u can see what democracy did in Iraq and so the western democratic system is not the solution here.

[Kuya]

lol

[Rhinox]

Bahrain is fundamentally a monarchy. The ruling family is sunni, while the majority of the population in Bahrain is shia. Like Irak under Saddam.

You misspelled Iraq

D-ROSE

[Gabai]

He used the spanish spelling for it. Jíbaro.

[Rhinox]

Lol

[Mistress Stowastiq]

Some of the Egyptian protesters are communicating with Wisconsin Union rights protesters on twitter, offering eachother support so they linked this photo.

http://twitpic.com/40w4aa

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...pt-WI-Copy.jpg

[donnie]

the same leaders leading this so-called revolution in bahrain, in another march last year but with different flags :

http://www.olamaa.com/new/news/photo...1773206730.jpg

http://www.olamaa.com/new/news/photo...1773207060.jpg

the guy in the first picture in middle , is Ali salman the head of Al-wifag, the same guy leading this event. the only thing they changed is taking hizbollah flags away to be media-friendly and its working.

[Mistress Stowastiq]

Bahrain: On AL Jazeera English: I am hearing that security forces have fired live ammo at the funeral marchers as they headed towards Pearl Sq. Hospital is saying only severe head injuries are coming in with actual bullets not buck shot. The people are saying that the pro-establishment protesters are being allowed to protest but not the anti-establishment protest. Dr. on the phone is urgently begging other nations, UN, Arab League for help because there is no more room in the hospital and they are taking victims to a theater now. He said they are laying in the streets. "Impossible to count how many casualties." He is absolutely frantic on the phone.

Libya: A person on Al Jazeera via phone was pleading for President Obama to help them. And protesters were formally threatened with death if they continue.

Cairo: Massive Tahrir Sq celebration going on and joining in with the army. The picture shows Tahrir completely packed. Some saying they wont leave the Sq until Mubarak's family and regime is stripped of all their wealth.

http://www.undispatch.com/bahrain-massacre

Breaking: Bahrain Military Fires into Crowd of Protesters February 18, 2011
Mark Leon Goldberg
Category: Rights
Topics: #Feb14, #Lulu, Bahrain



BREAKING: Twitter is blowing up right now with reports that Bahrain authorities are firing into a crowd of thousands that is assembled for the funeral of those killed in yesterday’s crackdown.

This could be a massacre underway.

UPDATE: This is really happening, folks. From Twitter user Muiz: “Hospitals not reporting wounds to body or arms, almost all are to the chest & head – live ammo from the ground & air”
From Al Jazeera English’s Evan C Hill: “Our correspondent in #Bahrain reports live ammo, not birdshot, not rubber bullets, being used on protesters. #feb17″

Original post: My list of top Bahrain Twitter users reacted with horror to yesterday’s police raid on Pearl Square. Hundreds of protesters were peacefully assembled there, when in the middle of the night and without warning, police shot up the place. Five people were killed. Scores injured. Nicholas Kristof reports that doctors were beaten who tried to help the injured.
This seems to be right out of the playbook of the gone and unlamented Hosni Mubarak (remember the camel riding thugs?) and Tunisia’s Ben Ali (whose forces also opened fire on protesters).

Like before, the Bahrain government seems to only have energized the masses further.
Crowdvoice’s Human Rights Crackdown in Bahrain is a must visit site for images and videos of the bravery of protesters set against brutality and depravity of Bahrain’s security forces.

[donnie]

from ireport CNN , showing the pro-government protest in bahrain:
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-557607?ref=feeds/latest

i will be posting pictures of the amount of people that showed.

[Gryffes]

Can we make a new thread for Bahrain so people realise shit is going on?

People are being shot and tear gas is being used on injured civilians at the hospital.

[Gryffes]

Shit is going crazy.

Several killed today, 100+ injured.

Security forces stopping ambulances getting to the hospital ( Health minister ordered that doctors cannot treat protesters ).

As usual Al Jazeera is awesome.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-ea...e-blog-bahrain

http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23bahrain



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbcji9ehph8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8HWhBAHqwg

[Gryffes]

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg612/sca...=640&ysize=640