MANAMA, Bahrain - Bahraini anti-government activists clashed with security forces as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Saturday, sending tear gas into a shopping mall and bringing the capital’s streets to a standstill on the same day authorities said a police officer died of injuries suffered in an earlier bombing.
The Interior Ministry said the officer was one of two injured in what it called a “terrorist blast” Friday in the village of Dair, near the country’s main airport. It did not identify the officer. In a second statement, the ministry characterized recent attacks against security forces as “urban guerrilla warfare.”
Chaos in the small Persian Gulf-island nation highlights deeper regional sectarian tensions that continue to roil Bahrain three years after the country’s majority Shiites began an Arab Spring-inspired uprising to demand greater political rights from the Sunni-led monarchy.
Neighboring Sunni-ruled Persian Gulf countries with smaller Shiite populations, led by Saudi Arabia, sent troops to Bahrain to stem the uprising in 2011. More than 65 people have died in the unrest, but rights groups and others put the death toll higher.
Heeding calls by Bahrain’s main Shiite coalition al-Wefaq, about 15,000 Bahrainis marched in the streets of the capital, Manama, a day after the three-year anniversary of the start of the anti-government uprising.
The protesters marched for several miles before clashes broke out. Police fired tear gas at the crowd, which included women and children. The protesters carried the red and white Bahraini flag and signs that said, “Democracy is the only solution.”
“I came to say that I refuse the way that my government treats people like me with discrimination,” prominent human-rights activist Azhar Jaafar said. He was carrying the picture of 22-year-old protester Nabeel Rajab, who is one of about 3,000 people thought to be behind bars for politically related charges.
The crowd chanted, “Allahu Akbar!” or God is great, as youth protesters erected makeshift barriers to keep police back.
They burnt tires to block the effects of the tear gas and threw rocks back at the security forces. Some protesters were seen carrying Molotov cocktails.
Efforts to restart on-and off reconciliation talks between the Shiite-dominated opposition and the Sunni monarchy and its allies have so far failed to bring an end to the simmering unrest in the country, an American ally that hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Activists frequently clash with police.
Anti-government factions have increasingly used small scale bombs targeting government forces.
Al-Wefaq said the protests Saturday were called to demand a democratic transition “in which the people are the source of all powers.” The group said the protest was also called to denounce the “free reign” given to security forces to exercise “heinous violations” against citizens.
The Interior Ministry said police have shown “incredible restraint in their use of force in dealing with violent rioters.”
Former member of parliament and opposition figure Abdul-Jalil Khalil said a “serious dialogue” is necessary but that it cannot happen as long as activists are imprisoned.
“Today’s events come as a result of a culture of denial by authorities who insist on security solutions and refuse to enter into meaningful dialogue,” he said.
Front Section, Pages 7 on 02/16/2014