Chaos in Bahrain: Police open fire on mourners

As marchers grieved the loss of compatriots, security forces let loose with bullets and tear gas. Here's the video

Mourners and protesters march into Bahrain's Pearl Square moments before police opened fire on the group.
(Image credit: YouTube)

The video: On Friday, Bahrain police opened fire on a group of mourners heading to Pearl Square, the epicenter of the turmoil sweeping the small island nation this week. (See video below.) As hundreds of marchers approached the area, according to The New York Times, police started shooting — possibly with live ammunition — and hurled concussion grenades at the quickly scattering crowd. Government forces continued their assaults by firing at medics attempting to bring wounded to hospitals. Though reports are sketchy, initial estimates point to one dead and at least 50 wounded. The attack comes on the heels of a similar strike Thursday morning, in which police attacked a group of demonstrators sleeping in Pearl Square, killing at least five.

The reaction: "This is a battlefield," says a doctor quoted by a TIME reporter. "This is an overreaction. The protesters want simple things. They are asking for what the king has already offered." But the violence may well inspire protesters to want much more. We have seen enough killing," says Sawsan Mendeel, a 24-year old engineer, also quoted by TIME. "Before we only wanted the prime minister out. Now after all this killing, we want the King gone too. Pray for us." See the Bahrain crackdown:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us