SMALL-SCALE VIOLENT CLASHES CONTINUE TO ROIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000476

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV ASEC BA POL REFORM
SUBJECT: SMALL-SCALE VIOLENT CLASHES CONTINUE TO ROIL
BAHRAIN'S SHIA VILLAGES

REF: A. MANAMA 0264


B. MANAMA 0184

Classified by DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) Following the March 10 violent protest at Dana Mall,
small bands of masked youth have clashed with security forces
in scattered, sporadic confrontations. The incidents
typically begin with young men burning tires or trash
dumpsters on the edge of a village, and throwing Molotov
cocktails at police vehicles when the security forces arrive.
Police routinely employ tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Villagers caught in the middle have demanded that the youth
stop provoking the police as small children, the sick and
elderly are harmed by the gas. An Al Wifaq leader said the
breakaway hard line Shia Haq Movement has the power to stop
the clashes, but its leaders have been silent. In the
competition between Al Wifaq and Haq Movement for support of
the Shia community, it appears that Haq may have overreached
and provoked a backlash that could damage its longer term
support. End Summary.

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Scattered, Sporadic Confrontations Follow Mall Incident
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2. (U) Small-scale clashes pitting as few as 10 protesters
against security forces continue to take place in a scattered
fashion in Bahrain's northern and western band of Shia
villages following a larger confrontation March 10 that
spilled into a shopping mall located on the edge of a Manama
area village. On any given night, there may be only one or
two incidents, or even none at all. Some of the villages
that have been sites of violence are Sanabis, Daih, Diraz,
Bani Jamra, and Tashan. Downtown Manama has been mostly
quiet.


3. (U) The March 10 conflict occurred on the first of three
days of Formula One racing in Bahrain, when thousands of
foreigners were in the country. A demonstration was
organized in support of 19 youths serving one- and two-year
sentences for their participation in a December 25 riot at
Bahrain International Airport (reftels). According to
organizers from the hard line Shia Haq Movement, small groups
of instigators in the demonstration provoked violent
reactions from riot police. The clashes spilled into the
Dana Mall, located on the edge of Sanabis, with police and
demonstrators fighting in shops, corridors, and the food
court. Outside the mall, rioters burned tires and threw
stones and Molotov cocktails while police shot tear gas.
There are unconfirmed reports of police using rubber bullets.
The police detained 23 suspects for illegal gathering,
sabotage, and harassing police officers.

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Molotov Cocktails vs Tear Gas
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4. (U) Since the Dana Mall incident, small groups of masked
men have confronted police using similar tactics in different
locations: burning tires or trash dumpsters on the edge of a
village and, when the police respond, throwing stones and
Molotov cocktails. The police routinely resort to tear gas
to disperse the youths. In one incident, fire from a burning
car spread to an apartment building housing groups of South
Asian laborers, an image reminiscent of the attacks aimed at
foreign workers in the mid-1990s. There have been no reports
of arrests or injuries in the clashes. Both the parliament
and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued
statements condemning the violence and "sabotage" of public
and private property.


5. (U) Arabic daily Al Wasat journalist Saeed Mohammed
published reports March 19-20 based upon interviews with some
of the youths involved in the confrontations. Their ages
range from 15 to 25, but the bulk were middle school or high
school students. Mohammed asked why they protested violently

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when they had the legal right to demonstrate and express
their opinions peacefully. One replied, "The government does
not accept dialogue or any other approach." He blamed the
security forces for provoking violence. Others said they
were not rioting but "using force" to express their demands
and reinstate their rights.

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Residents to Protesters: Stop!
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6. (U) Mohammed also reported that residents of some of the
villages where the confrontations have taken place told him
they were sick of the clashes and urged their fellow citizens
to stop the instigators. One man called on political
leaders, religious scholars, and security officials to deal
with the phenomenon of violence. Some demanded that police
stop using tear gas because residents are being punished for
what others do.


7. (C) A businessman and landlord from Sanabis told the DCM
March 18 that he and his fellow residents were organizing to
stop young people from "terrorizing" the village. The
residents had posted signs in and around mosques and
community centers with a message to the youth saying, "If you
don't stop, we'll take care of you ourselves." Repeated
police use of tear gas was harming residents, including his
three- and five-year old daughters, who he had to bring to
the hospital because of vomiting and dizziness. The
businessman said there were 20-30 youths responsible for the
violence in Sanabis and residents knew who they were.

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Clerics Weigh In
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8. (U) In their Friday prayer sermons March 17, several
clerics addressed the Dana Mall violence and subsequent
incidents. Shia Shaikh Issa Qassem said the political
situation in Bahrain is suffering from a deterioration in
security. He attributed the situation to the government's
refusal to engage seriously with the opposition on its
concerns about the constitution. He said the government had
"closed the door of dialogue" and increased the gap between
the people and government. Sunni Shaikh Juma Tawfiq
criticized the rioters and highlighted the importance of
stability and security. He reminded demonstrators that the
government had tried to address their concerns on the family
law, housing, and employment.


9. (U) Al Wifaq President Shaikh Ali Salman launched an
attack on the instigators, calling them "self-serving
opportunists." "The acts of sabotage targeting public
property invariably hurt the people who work in these
facilities. Whenever we engage in an activity, we must make
sure that we convey the message we want others to hear. Our
activities must not result in harming others or destroying
property." According to a reporter, Salman's statement was a
clear indication that Al Wifaq was disassociating itself from
the provocateurs and the clashes.

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Haq Movement Responsible
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10. (C) Al Wifaq Advisory Council member Nizar Al Qari told
EmbOffs March 20 that the hard line Shia Haq Movement had
created the conditions for the continuing clashes with
police. Haq was responsible for the Dana Mall protest and,
while it did not call for continuing confrontations, its
leaders had not said or signaled that the violence should
stop. This was enough for the young people to continue to
fight. He noted that Haq leader (and former Al Wifaq vice
president) Hassan Mushaima and Ali Salman would meet that
night to discuss the security situation. This was the first
formal meeting between the two organizations.


11. (C) Al Qari stated that while Al Wifaq was not involved
in the protests or clashes, it would not "serve as a
policeman for the government." It was the government's
responsibility to find a way to stop the incidents. He said

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he almost wished a protester or police officer would be
killed because then the King would have to get involved in a
serious way. "The King has been ignoring us," Al Qari said.


12. (C) Al Qari indicated villagers are getting fed up with
the clashes. Because of his position in Al Wifaq, women from
his home village of Daih had approached his mother and asked
her to organize a meeting with Ali Salman. Al Qari said his
mother is a simple, non-political woman, but that she and her
friends were angry that their village was being used to
launch attacks on the police.

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Time for Leaders to Step Up
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13. (U) Press commentary has fallen along predictable lines,
with Sunni columnists condemning the rioters and Shia
accusing the government of ignoring their community's demands
and complaining of excessive use of force by police. Al
Wasat Editor-in-Chief Mansour Al Jamry wrote March 19 that it
was the residents of the villages who were paying the price
of the actions oQa few young men. "Some readerQcalled and
others sent letters complaining about the situation in their
villages, saying that their suffering is double because this
time they are harmed by a group of unknown rioters from their
areas and not by the government, and because leaders are
scared to take a clear stance on the incidents." In a
separate March 18 column, he wrote, "I hope that those who
appoint themselves leaders of the people realize that their
silence is dangerous. You are wrong for neglecting your
responsibility."


14. (U) In a March 14 unsigned editorial, Arabic daily Al
Watan says that the people responsible for mobilizing the
youth "are known to us. They use the issue of unemployment
at one time and naturalization (of foreign Sunnis) at another
to justify demonstrations and protests. Those who are not
condemning the recent violence and crimes are accomplices."
Editor-in-Chief of Arabic daily Akhbar Al Khaleej Anwar Abdul
Rahman wrote on March 14 that parents need to pay more
attention to raising their children and setting in their
hearts and minds the values of patriotism and peace. While
the right to protest peacefully is an important pillar in
reinforcing democracy, he hopes that parents try to figure
out why their sons are so violent.

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Comment
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15. (C) The sporadic small-scale clashes popping up in
various parts of the country do not appear to be centrally
organized. In the absence of a red light, young men looking
for some action will likely continue to provoke police. In
this situation, it is the Haq Movement leaders who have the
ability to stop the confrontations by way of a clear signal
to their followers. Al Wifaq's Ali Salman issued his
statement, but Al Wifaq does not control this group. The
angry reaction of villagers caught between protesters and
police may have come as a surprise to those who favor
increased confrontations. It appears that in its haste to
provoke the government, the Haq Movement may have overreached
and caused a counter-reaction from the very Shia "street"
whose support it is trying to attract.

MONROE