MANAMA – Thousands demonstrators marched in Manama on Saturday to demand the Sunni ruling regime stand down, upping pressure on the government one day after tens of thousands flooded the streets.
“Leave Hamad, leave Hamad” and “Down Hamad, down Hamad,” chanted the flag-waving demonstrators as they poured out of Pearl Square, epicentre of the protests which began on February 14. “The people want to topple the regime,” they roared as they formed a procession towards a major highway, blocking traffic.
Manama’s Pearl Square has been transformed into a makeshift camp where protesters have kept daily kept vigil in hundreds of tents. Official opposition groups have stopped short of demanding outright regime change, instead calling for major reforms, including an elected prime minister and the creation of a “real” constitutional monarchy.
