Royals under fire over Al Khalifa visit

The British Royal family is under fire for hosting Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa and his son Prince Nasser.

According to Press TV, Bahraini demonstrators and anti-arms campaigners gathered outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, London on Saturday, calling on the British Royal family to stop advocating business with the despotic regime.

The protesters also urged the UK government to sever all ties with the kingdom.

The move came a day after King Hamad, who has been clamping down pro-democracy protests at home, and his son Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who faces a court challenge to immunity from prosecution over torture claims, arrived in London.

Since February 2011, thousands of Bahraini protesters have staged numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

Dozens of people have been martyred and hundreds arrested so far during the government clampdown on peaceful demonstrations. A number of rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have blasted Bahraini regime’s rights violations.