About a thousand protesters defied martial-type laws and staged protest against the Sunni rulers' monopoly on power in the Gulf country, the home of US Navy's 5th Fleet. The demonstration took place on Thursday in the village of Karzakan, 10 miles west of the capital Manama. Whole families attended. Men and women chanted slogans against the royal family and marched along, some carrying balloons. At least 20 people have been killed as Bahrain's rulers attempt to crush a monthlong uprising.