Bahrain Activists Stage Pro-Reform Mass March, Demand Change
Thousands of Bahrainis marched on the outskirts of the capital Manama on Friday, demanding democratic reforms in the Gulf island kingdom.
The protesters, answering a call from leading Shiite clergyman Isa Qassim, marched 5 kilometers from Duraz, north of Manama, to Maksha village where a day earlier they had ended a week-long sit-in.
“This rally reflects the people’s consensus on the political demands and their determination not to leave the streets before their demands are met,” Qassim said in a sermon earlier on Friday.
Minor clashes erupted between the police and protesters after they broke away from the main demonstration and attempted to march to Pearl Square, the center of last year’s Shiite-led protests against the kingdom’s Sunni Muslim rulers.
One Bahraini activist told Bikyamasr.com via telephone on Friday evening that they believe continued protests will be the only way for their voices to be heard and for the change they have called for to become a reality.
“We want nonviolent change and only through this continued action will we be able to make it happen,” began young university student and protester Walid, told Bikyamasr.com. “We won’t take up arms even as the government uses violence against us.”