Saudis Arrest 50 Protesters
Charles Johnson
Thu Oct 23, 2003 at 4:35 pm PDT • Views: 186
Our friends the Saudis have arrested 50 protesters and broken up the second anti-government demonstration in two weeks: Saudi Security Forces Arrest 50 in Jeddah Protest.
Witnesses said about 100 people had gathered Thursday in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah before the arrests.
The presence of security forces appeared to keep protesters from gathering in other Saudi cities as planned.
Police cars lined streets in Riyadh and blocked roads near a mosque where one of the protests was expected to take place.
The Arabic satellite television channel Al-Arabiya says some protesters were also arrested in the eastern port of Dhammam and the northern town of Hail.
The exiled Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia had called for demonstrations today against what it called injustice and corruption in the Kingdom.
Please note, however, that the Movement for Islamic Reform are not exactly the equivalent of Western peaceniks—they think the Saudis are not strict enough, and want to institute an even harsher form of Islamic government.
Frank says: