Earlier, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters filled Bahrain’s capital in an attempt to boost pressure for sweeping political concessions before possible talks to end nearly two weeks of demonstrations and clashes in the country.
At least two major processions sought to converge on Manama’s landmark Pearl Square, which has become the focal point of the uprising pushing for democratic change.
Security forces made no immediate attempt to halt the marchers in an apparent sign that Bahrain’s rulers do not want to risk more bloodshed and denunciations from their Western allies.
Bahrain is the first Gulf state to be thrown into turmoil by the Arab world’s wave of change. The unrest is highly significant for Washington because Bahrain sits at the center of its military framework in the region. There is much at stake, too, for the Gulf’s ruling clans seeking to maintain their grip on power and efforts to keep Iranian influence in check.
Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is the Pentagon’s main counterweight against Iran’s widening military ambitions.
The government had declared Friday a day of mourning for the seven people killed in clashes since Feb. 14.
Many protesters waved Bahrain’s red-and-white flag. Among the chants: “No dialogue before the government is dissolved” and “For Bahrain’s future, we are not afraid to be killed.” One procession — split into separate groups of men and black-robed women — passed skyscrapers adorned with images of the nation’s ruling family.
The marches followed a sermon by a senior Shiite cleric who said that any dialogue between anti-government protesters and the kingdom’s rulers must lead to clear reforms and changes.
In the sermon at a Shiite village mosque in the anti-government hotbed of Diraz, Imam Isa Qassim called for talks that are “clear, comprehensive and productive.” He said demonstrators want guarantees on what would be accomplished by the talks.
“We don’t want dialogue for the sake of dialogue, we don’t want dialogue to waste time or to absorb anger,” Qassim told worshippers. “We want a meaningful, viable and sustainable process. ... We seek a fundamental change to the current political process based on legitimate demands.”
Bahrain’s Sunni rulers have offered to talk with Shiite opposition groups to try to defuse the showdown, but the opposition has been slow to answer the call.
The opposition appears split in its aims, with some seeking greater democratic reforms, including the removal of the long-serving prime minister — the king’s uncle.
Others, however, are demanding the ouster of the ruling regime altogether.
Scores of anti-government protesters knelt down under the hot midday sun for Friday prayers in Pearl Square.
Surrounding them were dozens of tents and makeshift food stalls that have been set up by protesters intent on fortifying their position. Anti-government graffiti has been spray-painted on a towering monument to Bahrain’s heritage as a pearl-diving center the dominates square as well as nearby walls — a rare sight in the heavily policed Gulf.
