Bloodshed in Bahrain: 50 Injured as Police Open Fire on Protesters
- Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:32pm by
Meredith Jessup
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MANAMA, Bahrain (AP/The Blaze) -– Soldiers opened fire Friday on thousands of protesters defying a government ban and streaming toward the landmark Pearl Square that had been the symbolic center of the uprising to break the political grip of the Gulf nation’s leaders.
Officials at the main Salmaniya hospital said at least 50 people were injured, some with gunshot wounds. Some doctors and medics on emergency medical teams were in tears as they tended to the wounded. X-rays showed bullets still lodged inside victims.
“This is a war,” said Dr. Bassem Deif, an orthopedic surgeon examining people with bullet-shattered bones.
“[There were] only bullets. They didn’t give us any [indication] so that we could just run away from them. They just started shooting us. Now there are more than 20 injured in the hospital. One guy, he has already passed away because he got shot in his head. And there are more than three injured. They will pass away in a few hours because… they have got shot… near their chest or near their heart,” one protester told the BBC.
(Warning: video contains graphic images. Viewer discretion strongly advised.)
Health ministry officials said in a statement that seven people were critically injured with many others suffering minor injuries.
Other raw video from the scene captured the bloody aftermath and protesters’ frantic reactions:
Protesters described a chaotic scene of tear gas clouds, bullets coming from many directions and people slipping in pools of blood as they sought cover. Some claimed the gunfire came from either helicopters or sniper nests, a day after riot police swept through the protest encampment in Pearl Square, killing at least five people and razing the tents and makeshift shelters that were inspired by the demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
An Associated Press cameraman saw army units shooting anti-aircraft weapons, fitted on top of armored personnel carriers, above the protesters, in apparent warning shots and attempts to drive them back from security cordons about 200 yards (200 meters) from the square.
Then the soldiers turned firearms on the crowd, one marcher said.
“People started running in all directions and bullets were flying,” said Ali al-Haji, a 27-year-old bank clerk. “I saw people getting shot in the legs, chest, and one man was bleeding from his head.”
“My eyes were full of tear gas, there was shooting and there was a lot of panic,” said Mohammed Abdullah, a 37-year-old businessman taking part in the protest.
A video journalist from the New York Times was reportedly fired upon by a police helicopter circling overhead:
The clash came hours after funeral mourners and worshippers at Friday prayers called for the toppling of the Western-allied monarchy in the tiny island nation that is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, the centerpiece of the Pentagon’s efforts to confront Iranian military influence. Some members of Bahrain‘s Sunni ruling system worry that Shiite powerhouse Iran could use Bahrain’s majority Shiites as a further foothold in the region.
U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the reports of violence against the protesters in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, urging government restraint.
“I am deeply concerned about reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries and wherever else it may occur,” Obama said. “The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests and to respect the rights of their people.”
Bahrain’s king appointed Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to lead a dialogue “with all parties,” though it was unclear whether furious protesters would respond to the overture. Speaking on Bahrain’s State TV, Salman expressed condolences for “these painful days” and called for unity.
“We are at a crossroads,” Salman said. “Youths are going out on the street believing that they have no future in the country, while others are going out to express their love and loyalty. But this country is for you all, for the Shiites and Sunnis.”
The cries against the king and his inner circle — at a main Shiite mosque and at burials for those killed in Thursday’s crushing attack — reflect a sharp escalation of the political uprising, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy’s power and address claims of discrimination against the Shiite majority.
The mood, however, has turned toward defiance of the entire ruling system after the brutal crackdown on a protest encampment in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, which put the nation under emergency-style footing with military forces in key areas, checkpoints on main roads and a likely crackdown on the country’s internet access.
“The regime has broken something inside of me. … All of these people gathered today have had something broken in them,” said Ahmed Makki Abu Taki at the funeral for his 23-year-old brother, Mahmoud, who was killed in the pre-dawn sweep through Pearl Square. “We used to demand for the prime minister to step down, but now our demand is for the ruling family to get out.”
At a Shiite mosque in the village of Diraz, an anti-government hotbed, imam Isa Qassim called the Pearl Square assault a “massacre” and thousands of worshippers chanted: “The regime must go.”
In a sign of Bahrain’s deep divisions, government loyalists filled Manama’s Grand Mosque to hear words of support for the monarchy and take part in a post-sermon march protected by security forces. Many arrived with Bahraini flags draped over the traditional white robes worn by Gulf men. Portraits of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa were distributed.
“We must protect our country,” said Adnan al-Qattan, the cleric leading prayers. “We are living in dangerous times.”
He denounced attempts to “open the doors to evil and foreign influences” — an apparent reference to suspicions that Shiite powerhouse Iran could take advantages of any gains by Bahrain’s Shiites, who account for about 70 percent of the population.
The pro-government gathering had many nonnative Bahrainis, including South Asians and Sunni Arabs from around the region. Shiite have long complained of policies giving Sunnis citizenship and jobs, including posts in security forces, to offset the Shiite majority.
Outside a Shiite village mosque, several thousand mourners gathered to bury three of the men killed in the crackdown. The first body, covered in black velvet, was passed hand to hand toward a grave as it was being dug.
Amid the Shiite funeral rites, many chanted for the removal of the king and the entire Sunni dynasty that has ruled for more than two centuries in Bahrain — the first nation in the Gulf to feel the pressure for changes sweeping the Arab world.
“Our demands were peaceful and simple at first. We wanted the prime minister to step down,’ Mohamed Ali, a 40-year-old civil servant, said as he choked back tears. “Now the demands are harsher and have reached the pinnacle of the pyramid. We want the whole government to fall.”
In Manama, soldiers placed roadblocks and barbed wire around Pearl Square and other potential gathering sites. Work crews tried to cover up protest graffiti.
In another funeral in the Shiite village of Karzkan, opposition leaders urged protesters to keep up their fight but not to seek revenge.
“We know they have weapons and they are trying to drag us into violence,” said Sheik Ali Salman, the leader of the largest Shiite party, Al Wefaq, whose 18 lawmakers have resigned in protest from the 40-seat parliament.
On Thursday, Bahrain’s leaders banned public gatherings. But the underlying tensions in Bahrain run even deeper than the rebellions for democracy that began two months ago in Tunisia and later swept away Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and are challenging old-guard regimes in Libya and Yemen.
Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa said the crackdown was necessary because the demonstrators were “polarizing the country” and pushing it to the “brink of the sectarian abyss.”
Speaking to reporters after an emergency meeting with his Gulf counterparts in Manama, he called the violence “regrettable,” said the deaths would be investigated and added that authorities chose to clear the square by force at 3 a.m. — when the fewest number of people would be in the square — “to minimize any possibility of casualties.”
On doctor spoke to Al-Jazeera television and pleaded for international help to try and stem the rising casualties:
Many protesters were sleeping and said they received little warning of the assault. More than 230 people were injured, some seriously.
In Geneva, Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the response of some governments in the Middle East and Africa to the demands of their people was “illegal and excessively heavy-handed,” and she condemned the use of military-grade shotguns by security forces in Bahrain. The European Union and Human Rights Watch urged Bahrain to order security forces to stop attacks on peaceful protesters.
WikiLeaks, the secret-sharing website, has released new U.S. State Department cables detailing basic Bahraini foreign policy and concerns about regional powerhouse Iran. One intriguing cable consists of questions sent by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, asking the embassy to evaluate the leadership potential of the country’s top princes.
The cable includes questions about relationships between the princes, their influence on government, views of the United States and whether any of them have histories of drug or alcohol use. There is no record of any answers.
The protesters had called for the monarchy to give up control over top government posts and all critical decisions and address deep grievances by Shiites, who claim they face systematic discrimination and poverty and are blocked from key roles in public service and the military.
Shiites have clashed with police before over their complaints, including in the 1990s. But the growing numbers of Sunnis joining the latest demonstrations surprised authorities, said Simon Henderson, a Gulf specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“The Sunnis seem to increasingly dislike what is a very paternalistic government,” he said. “As far as the Gulf rulers are concerned, there’s only one proper way with this and that is: be tough and be tough early.”
The Bahrain violence forced the cancellation of a lower-tier open-wheel race in Bahrain for Friday and Saturday, and leaves in doubt the March 13 season-opening Formula One race at the same track.
Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone told the BBC he will decide next week whether to proceed with the race. On Friday, he said he hoped the event can be run as scheduled.
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Comments (45)
mossbrain
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 1:26am“We need to get security forces in there to dispel the crowds with tear gas and even machine guns if they start destroying valuable property”
Spoken like a true conservative, profits over people.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 7:36am“American interests are evil.”
Report Post »Spoken like a true progressive.
theyarenotmeopinion
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 1:25amcemoto78 couldn’t be more right about the entitlement crowd. Today i was listening to a couple of men trying to estimate when their home value would start recovering. I sat there thinking are these people even on the same planet I am. When are THEY going to get a clue. soon. very soon
Report Post »jinx83
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 12:55am*correction* posted under wrong tab **
Report Post »jinx83
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 12:45amnice, now all the military has to do is support Israel, and we’re back on track… some what.. still; prep for inflation
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 12:24amThe more they kill each other the less we have to clean up.
Report Post »nosycophant
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 11:24pmthe progressives love blood, right I am correct right???????
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 11:12pmDidn’t the Beatles wrirte a song about this? “As my Qatar gently weeps”
Stu Piddy
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 10:17pmThe people in foreign Arab countries can’t handle freedom yet. It’s not time. They have to be more mature and have educations like we Americans. Too many foreigner Arab people aren’t educated like the people in Afghanistan who are mostly only bakers and shepards. They don’t have nuclear scientists there like we do who can help us with our cars and atomic weapons.
Your right, the same thing is happening hear where immature protestors in Wisconsin are trying to revolt against the government because they are too liberal. What if every big city starts having revolts like in Egypt? Where immature liberals start causing problems.
We need to get security forces in there to dispel the crowds with tear gas and even machine guns if they start destroying valuable property. This is a revolution against America caused by the terrorists in the Mid East. These people have been inspired by the Egyptians to revolt in the U.S. We have to stop it now with force if necessary before they get the idea that they have the power and not our government
Report Post »onlyright
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 10:06pmThis is scary stuff..Be prayerful, stock up on supplies, keep your powder dry..
Report Post »Tony
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:49pmAbout 20 years ago, radical shites, backed by Iran, tried to bring down the Bahrain government using extreme violence. “Democracy” was not the goal Iran had in mind. If the protesters get their way and the government fails, there is no way Bahrain will become more free or a democracy. It will become a tiny stepping stone for Iran to go after the real “pearl”, Saudi’s Eastern province where oil still “free” flows from relatively shallow wells. Iran’s wells are running dry.
The strategy is clear and as stated by the Egyptian Google Executive, to get the people out in the streets and keep them there as long as it takes for the government and businesses to fall from loss of income. The government can never promise nor deliver enough. The protests are still going on in Egypt and will never stop in Bahrain until the goal is acheived, government failure and chaos. This is now the strategy in madison. It will continue until the the people say “uncle” and ask governor Scott to back off. Lets pray he never does.
Now if you were the “sheik” of Bahrain and knew the ultimate goal of the protests and their strategy, what would you do? Would you force them out of the camps and off public streets or watch helplessly as your country falls to Iran?
A no win situation.
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:26pmThere is no stopping it now.
Report Post »Blacktooth
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:26pmOn 9.11.01 the world changed.
Report Post »I feel it has changed again (for the worst) due to Egypt’s meltdown into chaos.
It is very scary.
Auggie Bin Dauggie
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:25pmThese scenarios are a dry run for the US. Soon, these scenes won’t just be in the Mid-East, rather they will be in the mid-west. The playbook has been implemented and is being run by the same people coming to a major urban city near you.
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:23pmI kept looking for Katie and did not see her perky self anywhere. Hey its another revolution, she should be there covering it right?
Report Post »LarsArcht
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:08pmRuler4you has the jist of it, most of the people on the street are pawns. The “animal” in this instance is Islam and the trainer is the Muslim Brotherhood, the whole region is becoming theirs and our administration is on board.
Report Post »James
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 8:31pmObama and Clinton have begun a journey into the MiddleEast without the knowledge and in depth understanding how the Pan-Arabic Muslim world functions and thinks about America and Israel. There undoubtedly will be strong repercussions. Perhaps the target was Iran?
Report Post »Eblaze44
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 8:13pm@WHITEFANG – so what has changed in the last 2,000 or 3,000 years? and for those of you that protest you are “Christians” or Jews – what about all those folks around Noah?
I find it amazing that there really are people, like our founding fathers and those that followed and believed in them, that there are people willing to die for their liberty.
Perhaps we need to have another “peaceful” rally in Washington and surround the white house and demand that Obama and Company or go to the Capitol and demand that Harry Reid “go home”. how many of us do you think it would take to get them to give up their positions of princely power and return to their hovels. of course, we’d do it peacefully and not wreck our heritage or rape the reporters. we just want to see them disappear – I guess we’ll wait another 6 years.
Report Post »MetalPatriot
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:15pmSorry, but I’m having trouble following your thought process. It comes across angry at Judeo-Christians then switches to bashing our Founders idea about sacrificing self for the cause of Liberty, then changes to saying we should riot in D.C.
Sounds sarcastic, & i apologize if i didn’t understand correctly. Please clarify what you are trying to say…thanks!
Report Post »Hawt'n'Secksie
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 7:14pmThese muslim nations are full of peace. They are practically hogging all the peace to themselves, and it is making us all jealous. I remember as a young child smelling the sweetest smell ever to engulf my nostrils…it was as i walked by a mosque, and the enticing odor of sheeps cheese mingled with sandalwood wafted therefrom. It was the aroma of peace and i will never forget it.
Report Post »WhiteFang
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 7:09pmWe are entering a most dangerous time in all human history. The potential for millions of deaths from violence, anarchy, politics,religion, and special interests is a reality now. It is now!
Report Post »heyjim55
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 7:07pmBeck is correct in calling these events remember he refered to it as the new world order, which implicates Global elitists the White House, United Kingdom, bankers, Wall Street, Federal Reserve, Royal families, CFR, belderberg, IMF, World Bank, George Soros, and his Socilaist groups which are on the ground instigating this . Those useful fools the Marxist and Socialist’s radicals are being paid and played to do their bedding for these creeps. Out of this rioting and protesting will come a new order an order in which no one wants.
Report Post »eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 6:36pmSo, is our failed “president” going to cheerlead (throw gasoline on the fire) for this uprising too?
Report Post »etetetet
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 6:15pmIf you take a rock to a gun fight – ya gonna lose
Report Post »timej31
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 6:00pmBullets vs. BS. Hmmm I think the BS will not win.
Report Post »roxee
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:57pmBahrain is not being taken down with a planned Military Coup d’etat as in Egypt. Create Crisis in the Middle East, I read the Rand Corporation lobby the Pentagon for this back in 2008 for just this we see now. Results there and elsewhere will not be as easy for the citizens. I pray the injured can get treatment quickly.
Report Post »Makoto
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:53pmI wonder if the inhabitants of these nations are even hearing Obama’s admonitions on these matters. What is he trying to prove, and to whom? Is he trying to prove that the U.S. still has any sort of influence in these places? Will they listen to a man who supplies the king of the very government that they are in a disagreement with?
Report Post »8jrts
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:42pmAnd Beck called it….it spreads…I feel for so many that can’t get help.
Report Post »VanGrungy
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:51pmI really liked Glenn’s dissection of Jasser last night…
islam is the biggest lie of all time…
Report Post »cnsrvtvj
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:51pmHe sure did call it 8jrts. As he was calling it the MSM was bashing him and labeling him crazy. Funny how it turned out exactly as he said it would. I think the MSM is a major cause for many of the problems in the world today. Not only do they not report the news, they bash anyone who does.
http://www.donsmithshow.com – see the liberal mindset video
Report Post »cnsrvtvj
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:54pmThat was awesome vangrungy.
Report Post »loweralabama
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 5:58pmLook closely socialists and progressives. This could easily be you.
Report Post »rodamaa
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 6:56pmit is horrible what is happening, but the real culprit of the insurrection are safely away I bet. These poor people loose no matter what in the end.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 7:06pmSocial violence is the unleashing of the animal. Once it has escaped, it is very difficult to put back into the cage of civilized society.
I remember the Watts riots in L.A., the “protests” at Kent State and other 1960‘s era socialist ’movement’ chaos. The nation still hasn’t gotten over the hate from that era. “Liberals” carry it around like a personal idol, but to those of us who watched rather than ’caused’ the chaos, it demonstrated a level of foolishness only recently approached in ignorance.
The virus that is violence is virulently contagious. And damningly difficult to rationalize, especially if you happen to be standing for principle. But if you are standing for special rights or social justice, random and abject violence is ‘ok’ by the same people.
A person is or can be smart. But people are crazy and can be insane in groups. This episodic spasm in ‘civility’ from the muslim nations goes a long way toward validating that statement.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 7:08pm@loweralabama,
Sorry to say this may be coming sooner than we think or want. Look what is taking place in WI, Ohio, and Indiana, and these are the people who have jobs. Wait until the entitlement crowd finds out the free ride is over……..
Report Post »bullcrapbuster
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 8:03pmAnyhoo it does not appear that any innocent people were injured.
Report Post »silentwatcher
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:18pmA peaceful protest and the government fires into the crownds, even after they dispersed. Tells you a much about the government, eh? If they would do this to their own people, you can imagine what they would do try to do to Israel and the U.S.
Report Post »Sinista Mace
Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:59amOnly Nazis beat and open fire on Civilians.
Report Post »