Bahrain Protesters Fight for Democracy
Police Use Violence in Protests
The capital of Bahrain, Manama, has been full of armed police using grenades, shotguns, tear gas, batons and their fists to break up the protests, notes the New York Times. Some protesters who were asleep in Pearl Square were set upon by the police and shot to death. The monarchy is alienating the people further with attacks on peaceful protests.
Six Protesters Killed in Bahrain
There are now six people already killed in the Bahrain protests. The protests are no longer confined to the capital city. A journalist for Al Jazeera in Bahrain stated:
"Clashes were no longer limited to one place... they are now spread out in different parts of the city. Some (protesters) are severely injured with gunshots. Patients include doctors and emergency personnel who were overrun by the police while trying to attend to the wounded."
When will King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa Step Down?
The King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, at first apologized for the violence against the protesters. And then the police violence increased. His duplicitous behavior has appalled the people of Bahrain.
The King is a Sunni and the people of Bahrain are mostly Shiite. The King's family has had control of Bahrain for about 200 years. If the people of the country have their way, the monarchy rule of Bahrain will soon be over.
An Ally to the United States
Bahrain has long been an ally to the United States. Our military keeps the Navy's Fifth Fleet there. But how can our country continue to interact with a country where the King uses violence against the people?
Images from the Revolution in Bahrain
To see a young child murdered during the protests, go HERE. Warning, the photo of the baby is very disturbing; it looks as if the child was beaten and hit with many pellets from a shotgun. To watch a video of the revolution underway in Bahrain, go to Reuters.
Revolution Spreads Quickly
The Tunisian man who lit himself afire to protest the government, Mohamed Bouazizi, set in motion a wave of protests against corrupt governments and dictators in many different countries in the Middle East, notes Reuters.
The protests that began after his death caused Dictator Ben Ali to flee Tunisia. Soon after, the protests in Egypt forced then President Hosni Mubarak to step down from power. The people of the world have seen that peaceful protests can topple a dictator. The bravery of the protesters in various countries is bringing change to the world. Democracy is something people will fight for, even if it means risking their lives.
Bahrain is undergoing change now. The people are eager for democracy. And the protests probably will not stop until they achieve it.
Published by Julia Bodeeb
Winner, Pulitzer Center Global Issues contest (Washington, DC), semi-finalist: The Nation's poetry contest. Published in newspapers, magazines and many online websites. Sold jokes to a major comic. Over a... View profile
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18 Comments
Post a CommentPeople all over the world are getting tired of being someone else's doormat. Those of us that are lower on the totem pole all want a better life.
I seems to be finally time for the handful of wealthy families who have controlled their country's money, resources, and policies, almost always to the detriment of their people, is coming to an end. My preference would be for these regimes to go silently with grace but I have no allusions. There will be increasing violence and death but I also believe that things will change for the better in each of these countries if the people hold strong and run the despots out.
Oops...I mean awful in the way that people should have had more freedom in the first place!
Excellent info, Julia. All these uprisings are awful.
Thank you for this report!
Inspiring that people are fighting back. Wish we could get rid of the monarchy in the UK. I'm a bit of a revolutionary on the quiet...
Nice coverage, cheers :)
Everybody's sick of the tyranny, it seems. Even in Wisconsin!
Brave people who only want their freedoms, why does it have to be such violence to get basic rights?
There's so much unrest that I don't think we'll see a peaceful world in our lifetime.