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By Frederik Richter and Michael Georgy
MANAMA (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters in Bahrain swarmed back into a symbolic square on Saturday, putting riot police to flight in a striking victory for their cause and confidently setting up camp for...
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Protesters wave Bahraini national flags after they climb up onto the Pearl Roundabout as they celebrate in Pearl Square in the capital Manama February 19, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed.
By Frederik Richter and Michael Georgy
MANAMA |
Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:44pm EST
MANAMA (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters in Bahrain swarmed back into a symbolic square on Saturday, putting riot police to flight in a striking victory for their cause and confidently setting up camp for a protracted stay.
The government said it had opened a dialogue with opposition groups demanding reform as Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa sought to ease tensions triggered by a wave of anti-government unrest sweeping the Middle East.
Crowds had approached Pearl Square in Manama from different directions, creating a standoff with riot police who had moved in earlier to replace troops withdrawn on royal orders.
Suddenly police raced to their buses, which drove away mounting kerbs in their haste to escape.
Emboldened protesters, cheering and waving national flags, ran to the center of the traffic circle, retaking it even before all police had left. The crowd waved fleeing policemen through.
"We don't fear death any more, let the army come and kill us to show the world what kind of savages they are," said Umm Mohammed, a teacher wearing a black abaya cloak.
The authorities are determined to prevent protesters from turning Pearl Square into a base like Cairo's Tahrir Square, the heart of a revolt that ousted Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.
On orders from the crown prince, troops and armoured vehicles earlier withdrew from the square, which they had taken over on Thursday after riot police staged a night-time attack on a sit-in by protesters, killing four people and wounding 231.
The crowds in Pearl Square soon swelled into the tens of thousands, celebrating a triumph for the mostly Shi'ite protesters who took to the streets on Monday, inspired by popular revolts that toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.
Tents, removed two days ago by the army, were set up again along with makeshift medical stations to treat any wounded.
"We liberated a small part of Bahrain today. We will liberate all of Bahrain," a man in the square said.
Bahrain's 70 percent Shi'ite majority has long felt discriminated against in the Gulf Arab island, which is ruled by a Sunni Muslim dynasty and is a close U.S. and Saudi ally.
Shi'ites feel cut out of decision-making and complain of unfair treatment in access to state jobs and housing.
The government said it had opened a dialogue with opposition groups demanding reform. "A Bahrain process of dialogue has begun between the crown prince and political groups," the information affairs authority said in a message on Twitter. It gave no further details.
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Comments (1)
zaki1962 wrote:
All the people have to understand the situation and solve problems by dialog.
“The believers are nothing else than brothers. So make peace between your brothers and fear Allah that you may receive mercy”
(Noble Quran: Surah-49-Al-Hujurat-Verse-10)
Feb 19, 2011 2:10pm EST -- Report as abuse
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