A peaceful protest supported by opposition societies was forcibly repressed today, for the fourth consecutive Friday.
Opposition parties had called for people to gather from Janosan to Duraz under the slogan “The people will not back down”, although it had been officially banned as per the current state policy of blanket refusal of all protests in Bahrain. Such a policy led to the opposition to describe the current situation in Bahrain as an “unannounced state of emergency”.
In order to disperse the many who had gathered, regime forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets, as well as raiding homes and driving cars at protesters.
This video shows police vehicles driving at protesters:
Although the regime had threatened violence against those attending, many from the surrounding areas and villages took to the streets to practice their freedom of expression and speech. They were sending a clear message that they refuse to back down no matter how draconian are the measures taken against them.
There were also wide reports of a number of arrests throughout the course of the day.
It is again a worrying sign of the dangerous attitude being taken by the regime against peaceful protesters and an indication of their intent to repress rather than reform. It also shows the continuation of repression despite the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and many member states at the United Nations Universal Periodic Review.
Some images from the repression:
