Protesters marched along Budaiya highway, which links Shiite villages west of the capital, following a call by Bahrain's main opposition groups.
Brandishing Bahrain's red and white flags and posters of detainees, demonstrators braved high temperatures and chanted anti-government slogans.
"O, Khalifa, step down," chanted protesters addressing Bahrain's veteran prime minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman, an uncle of King Hamad, who is despised by the Shiite majority.
"Our homeland cannot remain a hostage to a small group that controls power and wealth," said a statement by the opposition led by Al-Wefaq, the main Shiite formation.
"It is the right of the Bahraini people, including all its groups, to have a peaceful rotation of power," it said, referring to its demand for a real constitutional monarchy with an elected premier.
Bahraini authorities last week headed off a protest called for by the Tamarod opposition group, a new faction named after the Egyptian movement that led nationwide protests which triggered the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The protest was planned to take place at the doorsteps of the US embassy, but tight security measures around Shiite villages prevented protesters from reaching the designated spot.
The authorities crushed mass pro-democracy demonstrations in the capital with the help of Saudi-led troops in 2011 but sporadic protests have continued in the Shiite villages.
At least 110 people have been killed in Bahrain since Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests erupted in February 2011, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.
Final communique
The National Democratic Opposition Parties in Bahrain stated, “This homeland cannot remain under the monopoly of power and wealth by a small group. The people of Bahrain- including all factions- must be able to practice their right to peaceful transfer of power so that the people are the only source of all powers. This right will not be buried under the repression and the military and security measures on the streets to silence voices demanding freedom and dignity”.
This came in the opposition parties’ final communique for Friday’s mass protest on Budaiya highway, west of the capital Manama. The statement said, “Bahrain needs a real political project in place of the crazy repressive security solutions. Only political solution that leads to real democracy can end the current crisis that is deepening and becoming more complicated. The current state policy of discrimination, exclusion, and monopoly are costing the homeland a high price”.
The National Democratic Opposition Parties warned of the continuing incitement against certain categories by official state institutions, and that is pushing the country into sectarian conflict and security escalation against the people. That is, along with the oppressive trials and arrests of citizens for exercising right to expression and opinion.
The National Democratic Opposition Parties said that the dictatorship is living outside the course of history. The opposition parties’ statement added, “All nations have rejected dictatorship and the people of Bahrain cannot remain under the illegitimate tyranny and enslavement. As long as authoritarianism exists, stability will be absent. Stability can only be achieved through justice, equality, respect of rights and an end to state terror and the disvalue of citizens’ lives to defend a small group’s monopoly of power”.
Bahrain has been suffering the absence of state in its true meaning, since its independence 42 years ago. On ground, is an Authority that stands on repression, force and military deployment on the expense of the people’s participation in the managing of their country’s affairs, the statement added.
The people of Bahrain have completed 30 months of their peaceful and civilized struggle for legitimate rights, added to the long decades of national struggle, while the Authority is responding with repression and violence to force the people give in on their rights.
The opposition parties see that the international community and the regime’s friends must play a significant role to push for democracy in Bahrain and a stop to violations and official terror that are practiced because of the international silence towards what is happening in Bahrain. The international community should not support the dictatorship in Bahrain while it raises democracy slogans in other countries, the opposition parties said.
23rd August 2013
The National Democratic Opposition Parties:
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society (AlWefaq)
National Democratic Action Society (Waad)
National Democratic Gathering Society (AlQawmi)
Unitary National Democratic Assemblage (Wahdawy)
Ekhaa National Society (Ekhaa)
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