Thousands of protesters took over a main square in Bahrain’s capital Tuesday, carting in tents and raising banners in a bold attempt to copy Egypt’s uprising and force high-level changes in one of the key U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.
The move by demonstrators capped two days of clashes across the tiny island kingdom that left at least two people dead. Parliament was cast into limbo by an opposition boycott, and the king made a rare address on national television to offer condolences for the bloodshed.
Security forces — apparently under orders to hold back — watched from the sidelines as protesters chanted slogans mocking the nation’s ruling sheiks and called for sweeping political reforms and an end to monarchy’s grip on key decisions and government posts.
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister said that the U.S. and Western allies should not stir up pro-democracy protests in the Middle East.
After meeting Tuesday with members of Britain’s government, Sergey Lavrov warned against any attempts by other nations to fuel public dissent.
“We are convinced that calls for revolutions are counterproductive. We have had more than one revolution in Russia, and we believe that we don’t need to impose revolutions on others,” Lavrov told reporters.
The political mutinies in the Arab world show the wide reach of the calls for change spurred by the toppling of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.
In Yemen, police and government supporters battled nearly 3,000 marchers calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in a fifth straight day of violence. Yemen is seen as a crucial partner in the U.S. fight against a network inspired by al-Qaida.
In Jordan, hundreds of Bedouin tribesmen blocked roads to demand the government return lands they once owned.
Saudi activists are seeking to form a political party in a rare challenge to the near-absolute power of the pro-Western monarchy.
In Tehran, Iran, hard-line lawmakers demanded Tuesday that the country’s opposition leaders face trial and be put to death, a day after clashes between protesters and security forces left two people dead and dozens injured