Bahrain braces for Friday protest

Bahrain’s largest revolutionary group has called for a mass anti-regime protest rally on Friday despite heavy government crackdown on protests.

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society says it is set to hold a peaceful demonstration in Sitra to demand political reforms and to protest against the government’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

The Friday march would be the second anti-regime demonstration since a mid-march crackdown on protesters.

The first protest rally was held on Saturday under the banner “Bahrain, homeland for all” in the village of Sar, 10 days after a state of emergency was lifted.

“This presence in the street is to tell the authorities that we still demand political change… Our slogan is: ‘The people want to reform the regime’,” Al-Wefaq politician ex-MP Hadi al-Moussawi told AFP on Saturday as anti-regime protesters had spilled into neighboring streets.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Bahrainis poured into the streets on Wednesday to mark the fourth month of popular uprising against the regime of Al Khalifa.

Thousands of anti-government protesters have been staging demonstrations in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores of people have also been killed and many others injured in the Saudi-backed crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain.

Bahraini activists say their protest campaign will continue until the nation’s demands are met.