People from across the
United States converged in Washington, D.C., on April 15 for a
National Rally Against Human Rights Abuses in Bahrain organized by
the American Council for Freedom in Bahrain. Organizers estimated
that 1,200 people were in attendance.
They were there to show
solidarity with the people of Bahrain who have risen up against the
U.S.-supported Al-Khalifa dictatorship. Protests in Bahrain have been
brutally repressed by the regime, supported by Saudi Arabian troops
who have killed demonstrators using live ammunition. The Obama
administration has been widely criticized for its muted response to
the violence against peaceful demonstrators.
The event began with a
demonstration outside of the Saudi Arabian embassy. The crowd them
marched to the White House, where the rally continued.
Sakeb Ali, who had come
from Chicago to attend the demonstration, condemned the killings and
told Liberation News
that the U.S. government had not strongly denounced the repression:
“The U.S. should speak out against the oppression and demand an
end.”
A sign in the crowd also
pointed to the Saudi Arabian connection: “Saudi (So Called) Royal
Family You Are Next.”
A statement from
ACFBahrain criticized U.S. complicity: “The United States must
recognize that the ammunition used by the Bahraini and GCC [Gulf
Cooperation Council] forces should not continue to use U.S.
ammunition as already documented by American human rights
organizations.” The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain,
and the tacit U.S. support for the Al-Khalifa regime’s violent
attacks on the demonstrations is a reflection of Bahrain’s
strategic importance as a U.S. client state in the region.
