Bahrain: #OccupyBudaiyaSt Continues  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.
Bahraini protesters have been continuing with their daily protests despite a government crackdown, from a government that tells the world that it is implementing reforms and not involved in the killing of innocent people. This none forceful confrontation with protesters has resulted in two deaths and countless injuries since Thursday.
On Thursday, Bahrainis started their #OccupyBudaiyaSt protests. On that day, a 22-year-old man called Ali Al-Gassab  was killed and activist/blogger Zainab Al-Khawajah was arrested for taking part in the Occupy Budaiya Street protest. The Occupy Budaiya Street protest aims at pressuring the government to release political prisoners and pay tribute to Bahrain's 40-plus martyrs, killed at the hand of security forces since the unrest started in Bahrain in February.
On Friday, as the regime was celebrating the country's National Day, thousands of Bahrainis packed the streets heading to Al-Gassab's funeral. However, the hospital, allegedly refused to give the body to his family. Despite this set back, the crowds headed to the cemetery, in Abu Saiba village, also on the Budaiya Highway, where they chanted against the regime. Security forces chased the protesters away with tear gas and brutality.
The most notable event was what was so called ‘Shakura Massacre‘; an incident that was caught by seven different cameras. It shows riot policemen on the roof of a building in Shakura village, along the Budaiya Highway, brutalizing around 18 men and leaving them with major injuries. The Interior Ministry tweeted in comment on this incident earlier on Saturday saying:
@moi_bahrain: Legal Affairs at MOI suspended some police personnel to investigate attack case against citizens in Shakhura yesterday (Friday).
Some netizens objected to the Shakhura being dubbed massacre, saying that none of the youth attacked was killed. Here is a video of the incident [WARNING: Graphic content].
Police repression and ministry's promises did not hold protesters back and they took to the streets to mourn Al-Gassab the following day and to keep their #OccupyBudaiyaSt movement alive. Armed with their mobile phones, netizens documented the day's events and relayed them to the rest of the world in real time. Here are some of their observations:
@alhojairy: Now, thousands of mourners chanting: our resistance is peaceful
@ONLINEBAHRAIN: Huge crowds of mourners participating in the funeral in Abusaiba Village
Despite road blocks, massive crowd at funeral. Image uploaded by MazenMahdi.
@anmarek: Women sit-in at the funeral of Martyr Ali Algassab
@anmarek: I asked this mourner why he is wearing a helmet! He said "protection!"
@MazenMahdi: Protest extremely peaceful #occupybudaiyaST roads open hundreds of protesters on side-walk #Bahrain including lots of women children.
Soon enough, the attack started.
@LuluAvenue: In my village there is a protest & it's being attacked by police #Bahrain ,, teargas everywhere !!
@FreedomPrayers: "Down With Hamad" written with flowers
@MazenMahdi: Police stormed #occupybudaiyaST without warning.
@chanadbh: Video of riot police attacking protesters with tear gas at #OccupyBudaiyaSt a little while ago: bit.ly/vATs3I
@FreedomPrayers: Suffocating ppl take refugee in mall. Experience tells me the mall will be stormed soon
@ONLINEBAHRAIN: Tear gas everywhere
@alaashehabi: A unit of 200 riot police. Just entered AbuSaiba village. HUGE explosion sound & lots of shooting
@MazenMahdi: Hundreds remain on the streets off #occupybudaiyaST sporadic clashes .. Youth securing inside roads to prevent storming
@Blackout_X: The police is getting ready with huge numbers to attack us in country mall!!
@chanadbh: Photos of riot police officer apparently beating a woman with his gun yesterday
This video uploaded by (MrBuHaider) shows protesters sitting on the pavement of the street chanting “Somood” (Resistance) when riot police attacked:
Another video (uploaded by kawaranews) shows security forces attacking people who were trying to pray at the site of a demolished Shia mosque:
And this video (uploaded by mmeha89) shows protesters in Abu Subia roundabout getting attacked by riot police:
In this video, BahrainyCitizen7 states that not only did the police fire tear gas at the protesters, police also attacked those standing next to Costa Coffee shop and beat them with their batons. He notes that one of the riot police members broke the glass on one of the tables for no reason.
Here's another video (uploaded by SEARCHMEALL) that shows the police attack on protesters. They had to get into a mall and many of them had injuries or were suffocating:
This video (uploaded by alawy1221) shows women getting attacked by police:
As the day progressed, more photographs were circulated online. Here are two of them which illustrate how Bahrainis inside the villages on the Budaiya Highway have been faring over the previous few days:
A protester being hit by a rubber bullet at the time of impact
@Peacelooving: Gas and sound bombs used by the police for the suppression of protesters in Abu siba village only.
Today, mourners in Bahrain buried another man in Al Muqsha village, also on the Budaiya Highway. As usual, police fired tear gas after the funeral of 73-year-old Abdulali Ali Ahmed, who relatives say died of smoke inhalation.
On Twitter, Al Sahawly shares this video showing part of the protest being suppressed:
Plumes of tear gas are seen rising in the horizon as the police shoot at protesters and passing cars.
Stay tuned for more coverage from Bahrain.
This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.