A massacre in Bahrain

[Palestine]

I just saw this video of a protest in Bahrain that turned really ugly.

These people who call themselves leaders have gone insane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwnUQcKXmMM&feature=player_embedded

[danyboy27]

might explain why i just saw footage of an army officier siding with anti-governement protesters.

Not everyone is willing to be portrayed has a butcher

[PhoenixAsh]

and that is why we should never, ever, ever have a state to be the one who controls the violence.

[PhoenixAsh]

might explain why i just saw footage of an army officier siding with anti-governement protesters.

Not everyone is willing to be portrayed has a butcher

do you have a source to that? Hopefully many more will follow.

[Palestine]

All these puppet and fake leaders will pay, it's true that freedom is not cheap, and one must sacrifice for his freedom and dignity. But those who ordered and called for the blood, will pay a high price.

[danyboy27]

do you have a source to that? Hopefully many more will follow.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/02/16/live-blog-bahrain

[PhoenixAsh]

It seems to me this copy-cat behaviour of occupying squares is not such an intelligent goal if it is not accompanied by large and massive strikes and the occupation of key government and media facilities.

It groups all the protesters in a nice single easuilly accessible location where they can be contained, attacked from all sides and rounded up.
It nicely focusses the "fire-power" of the government.

Sure...a square filled to the rim with people may look impressive on the news, and propaganda IS important...but it is not very effective in the sense that it establishes a quick and unremovable pressure on the government on multiple levels. Its just some people standing around shouting and hoping they will be more or less left alone.

A crowd of people is a very easy target for any state apparatus which does not shrink back from using force....

Infrastructure will and can be taken peacefully and will have a added negotiation purpose. Attacking these buildings and removing the occupating protesters will damage the government itself as well as the strategic fact that forces need to be distriubuted over multiple targets.

That in itself has an added possibility of isolating troops from high command and higer officer ranks. Which means it will be more easy to convince them to turn. A large group of soldiers under direct control of higher officers will, according to mob mentality theory, not be easilly pursuaded by rational arguments.

As it stands now...protesters are heavilly dependend on continued motivation of each specific sub group and the willingness of a "neutral"
body within the current system to intervene. The best they could hope for is reform instead of change.

[PhoenixAsh]

It seems they (the protesters) have retaken pearl square again. The army withdrew yhesterday after the corwn prince ordered them to do so, but the riot police remained. THey have beaten back several attempte by the protesters to retake the square but eventually failed.

However...

On sunday the labor unions and independent workers will go on strike to 'support' the protests. I say that in quotation marks because I think this is actualy the real protest....all the rest is "just" bravely voicing your opinion.

But as usual the opposition will probably start to negotiate. THey had rejected the crown princes offer earlier after the military used brutal violence. And stated that negotiations would only be started after the protesters had gotten a clear way.The riot police now retreated, for the moment, and as such the opposition will probably start negotiating.

The driving force behind the protests seem to be ethnic/religious in nature. With the Shia mayority being discriminated against by the Sunni minority. The class analysis seems to hitch on that feeling...instead of leading the way.

As such...I do not see any real change in the foreseeable future unless the workers continue their strikes.

[scarletghoul]

That video is so shocking, even though we all knew what was happening. To see it so plain and raw.. and the fact that they have road signs exactly the same as in england, etc, makes it even closer to home. Like, this is a highly developed country, not some third world shithole.. if it wasnt for the language and distinctive trees it could be england. i know this post contributes nothing, but i just want to share my reaction because this really affects me. we're so used to seeing pics of people killed in poor war-torn countries we become desensitised and start to accept it as 'normal', but seeing people massacred in a developed prosperous place like this brings out the real horror

[Salyut]

some footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3WRKoZPPao&feature=player_detailpage&skipcontrinter=1#t=3s)

[The Red Next Door]

some footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3WRKoZPPao&feature=player_detailpage&skipcontrinter=1#t=3s)

It the same as the one above ^

[PhoenixAsh]

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same as above posts from a different camera

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stroming of pearl square riot police

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must see...

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