Seamless Integration of Tyrany and Deceit – al Khalifa and al Saud

The opposition in Saudi Arabia is calling for democratic and social reforms – but the movement is ignored by the international media and Western governments.

Saudi Arabia: protests in the centre of counter revolution
22 March 2012 – by Joseph Daher – Counter Fire

Thousands of students at the all-female King Khaled University in Saudi Arabia boycotted classes last week to protest against poor services and demand reform. Following the suppression of the demonstrations, protests have spread to a number of cities in Saudi Arabia. The anger of students spread and gone beyond the city of Abha to larger parts of the Kingdom, where several protests took place in the cities of Riyadh, al-Namas, Ar’ar, Qatif and al-Rabeeah.

Saudi authorities responded to the protests with violence, killing one female student and injuring 54 others.

In Taibah University in the city of Medina, one student was expelled for publicly criticising the deteriorating conditions on campus during an open meeting with the director. In the eastern province of Qatif, one civilian was killed and several injured after security forces clashed with protesters demanding political reform.

The Ministry of Interior released a statement in which it vowed to address ‘acts of terrorism’ and described the protesters as ‘a deluded minority.’

Protests started with the self-immolation of a man in Samtah, Jizan, on 21 January 2011 and demonstrations of a few hundred people in late January in Jeddah and throughout February and early March in the cities of Qatif, al-Awamiyah, Riyadh and Hofuf.

In April 2011, several small protests over labour rights took place in front of government ministry buildings in Riyadh,Ta’if and Tabuk. Protests continued in late March and April in Qatif and smaller cities in the Eastern Province such as al-Awamiyah, and Hofuf, which are majority composed of Saudi Shia citizens who are discriminated by the authorities because of their religion.

The protestors called for the release of prisoners, the withdrawal of the Peninsula Shield Force from Bahrain and equal representation.

Uprisings have continued in the Qatif region. During protests in May, October and November, police shot live ammunition at protestors calling for the Eastern Province to have its own constitution and legislative assembly, and for the Society for Development and Change to be legally registered. The protests continued in December in Riyadh and Buraidah, calling for the release or trial of prisoners. …more