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:
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