Bahrain Video/Picture Feature: Are Police Allying with "Thugs" For Attacks?

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A series of images and first-hand reports from Bahrain last night pointed to a new phase in the conflict between security forces and protesters. It appears that, whether or not the police requested assistance, they have been joined by plainclothes men in the use of force and intimidation.

The main location was Dar Kulaib. Police mingled with men hurling stones and other objects and then the force, armed with sticks and metal rods, moved into the village, damaging vehicles and property:

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Violence Continues Through the Night...

In Bayada, Homs, protesters run through the trash to escape sniper fire.

See also Friday 23 December LiveBlog: Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Damascus Bombs
Bahrain Special: Last Night It Rained Tear Gas

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1710 GMT: The "Strike of Dignity", shutting down shops and schools in support of protests against the regime, continues across Syria. Footage from Kisweh outside Damascus:

1635 GMT: Upsetting scenes continue to unfold across the Middle East today, whilst the suffering wrought by yesterdays events comes to us through videos and reports. None of this violence has stopped the spirit of protest, with demonstrations taking place in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and beyond.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Damascus Bombs

Footage from the scene of one of the bombings this morning in Damascus (Warning: Graphic Images)

See also Bahrain Special: Last Night It Rained Tear Gas
Iraq Aftermath: US Marine "I Am Sorry for the Role I Played in Fallujah"
Palestine Music Feature: The CD Highlighting Israel’s Imprisonment of Children
Thursday's Syria, Bahrain, Egypt (& Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest Resurgent

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UPDATE: EA has received reports that the Baba Amr district in Homs has been attacked by Syrian forces. As such, we have launched a new liveblog (as it is now the 24th), where we will cover the latest developments on the attack.

2359 GMT: A prayer service tonight for 9 martyrs killed in the Baba Amr district of Homs:

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "When You Shut Your Eyes, The Sting is Still There"

This LiveBlog is now mirrored and continued above, "Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Damascus Bombs"

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Syria, Bahrain, Egypt (& Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest Resurgent

2240 GMT: Video surfaces from Bahrain of what appears to show riot police walking down a street and throwing a molotov cocktail, or similar device, towards a building, possibly in a residential area. A fire ensues.

2150 GMT: This picture from Abusaiba village and the following video from Jid Hafs reveal the scale of tear being used against domestic populations at night:

2130 GMT: Josh Sharyar has spoken to people in Bahrain who can barely breathe inside their own homes. One contact's father won't stop coughing, and his son reports that he believes he might die tonight.

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Bahrain Feature: Protests and Clashes Across the Kingdom Tonight

Police attack demonstrators in Sitra tonight

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More protests were reported from Bahrain today, mainly concentrated in several villages around the capital Manama and in Sitra, to the southeast. In almost all cases, protesters were suppressed by security forces.   

Sitra: 

In Sitra, several hundred protesters gathered tonight to demand the freedom of detained protesters and to call for the downfall of King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa. The protest, with the significant participation of women, carried banners and Bahraini flags. Eyewitnesses from the scene reported that protesters were chanting, "Peaceful, Peaceful" and "We want freedom".

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Syria, Egypt, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Women March

A women's march in Yemen on Tuesday

See also Bahrain Feature: Protests and Clashes Across the Kingdom Tonight
Middle East/North Africa Special: Policing the Female Body...and the Women Who Resist
Tuesday's Syria, Egypt, Bahrain (and Beyond): Uncertainty of Death, Certainty of Conflict

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2025 GMT: Students from Ain Shams University in Cairo marched today to the Ministry of Defence. Click the image for a full gallery.

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Middle East/North Africa Special: Policing the Female Body...and the Women Who Resist

The "Million Woman" march in Egypt on Tuesday

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In Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, and beyond, women have continued to exert their agency against the grain of regimes which would otherwise stamp their anger as troublesome or hysterical. In recent days, they have --- as they have for months --- made their presence felt, striking out against the patriarchal systems of governance which threaten to cripple the progressive development of the region. Doing, these women voice a clear and necessary message to the "West": Get your own house in order whilst we deal with the policing of ours.

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Syria, Egypt, Bahrain (and Beyond): Uncertainty of Death, Certainty of Conflict

Egyptian security forces raid Tahrir Square in Cairo this morning

See also Egypt Document: Alaa Abd-El Fattah from Prison "Half an Hour With My Son Khaled"
Bahrain Analysis: Are Sunni Groups Moving Away from the Regime?
Syria Feature: Fog of War --- How Many Defectors Died on Monday?
Monday's Syria, Egypt, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: From Mohamed Bouazizi to the Tear-Gassing of Protests

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2313 GMT: Zaynab AlKhawaja sends a triumphant tweet to signify her release from prison:

Down with Hamad!

She then writes: "This morning I was in a prison cell, planning how I wud spend at least 1 yr in prison. I wud never have believed I wud be at home hugging and cuddling Jude tonight."

(23:22 GMT update) Zaynab continues: "These last few days were tough, but the only thing that broke me down was leaving political prisoner Fathiya [Abduali] behind. Fathiya is such a great woman, she is so sweet & wonderful. I cant believe she has been in prison this long, forgotten by everyone. [I] will tell you all more about Fathiya and about our arrest tomorrow, theres so much I want to share with u all. Infact so many times I wished I had my phone so that I could tweet from prison ;)."

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Bahrain Analysis: Are Sunni Groups Moving Away from the Regime? (Gengler)

Sunni Rally at Al Fatah Mosque, 16 DecemberThe prospect that Bahrain's three Sunni Islamic societies --- representing the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafis, and Sunni nationalists in the NGU --- might attempt to coordinate their political programs must be more than a little unsettling to the Al Khalifa ruling family. With a Shi'a-led opposition the state knows how to deal; concerted political mobilization among Bahraini Sunnis is a much more novel --- and more dangerous --- development.

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