Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter IV — Narrative of Events of February and March 2011
including the youth movements that led the 14 February
movement.
282. At SMC, members of the medical staff and other individuals
participated in a march on the hospital grounds. Their slogans included
demands for constitutional reform, social justice and economic equality, and
expressions of support for the demands of the 14 February movement. 245
Three tents were erected and a podium was set up from which speeches were
given about the ongoing situation in Bahrain. At around 15:20, around 700
people marched from the hospital grounds towards the GCC Roundabout.
283. Demonstrations and gatherings of people were recorded throughout
the day in various parts of Bahrain. Many of those demonstrations proceeded
towards the GCC Roundabout. For example, at 16:40 a demonstration of
around 100 people began in the Al-Mekhraka district and advanced towards
the roundabout. A smaller demonstration, estimated to be around 70 people,
proceeded at 21:50 from Imam Hussein Street to the roundabout. It is
estimated that the number of demonstrators at the roundabout reached 15,000
during the day.
284. The views expressed at the GCC Roundabout were varied and
reflected the range of positions and opinions on the Bahrain political
spectrum. Leaders of diverse ideological backgrounds and political
affiliations participated in these protests and articulated different demands and
measures to solve the unfolding crisis. For some, the demonstrations aimed to
apply pressure on the GoB to take bolder steps towards constitutional reform
that would open the door for greater popular participation in the governance of
the country. Others expressed grievances of a socio-economic nature such as
income disparities, lack of employment opportunities, claims of sect-based
discrimination in hiring policies, the unavailability and inadequacy of
government housing and the lack of access to public land. Some expressed
more radical views. Many raised the slogan “the people want to remove the
regime”, which had been a prominent rallying call during the mass uprisings
in Tunisia and Egypt. Others went further and specifically named the ruling
family, raising slogans such as “death to Al Khalifa” or “down with Al
Khalifa”.
285. Despite the generally peaceful nature of most demonstrations and the
limited number of clashes with security forces on this day, acts of violence
were reported at a number of locations. For example, reports indicated that
unidentified individuals assaulted bystanders in the vicinity Al-Dawar Al-
‘Awal in Hamad Town. Later that night, one National Guard soldier was
reported to have been assaulted in Dar Kulaib, while a civilian claimed to
have sustained a head injury due to a rock thrown at him in the vicinity of the
GCC Roundabout.
245 See Chapter V.
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