- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Police on high alert after deadly clashes in eastern Saudi Arabia
- Date: 27th November 2011
- Summary: QATIF CITY, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA (NOVEMBER 25, 2011) (REUTERS) SAUDI SECURITY OFFICER AT A CHECK POINT CHECKING CARS ENTERING TO THE QATIF CITY OF THE MAJORITY SHIITE RESIDENCE SECURITY OFFICER CHECKING INSIDE VEHICLE AT ENTRANCE OF QATIF CITY SECURITY OFFICER CHECKING IDENTITY CARDS OF PASSENGERS TWO SAUDI MILITARY FIXING A MACHINE GUN ON TOP OF A VEHICLE AT THE CHECKPOINT SECURITY VEHICLES AT CHECK POINT OFFICER CHECKING ID AND CARS LEAVING SECURITY VEHICLE AT CHECK POINT ROAD SIGN IN ARABIC AND ENGLISH ('CORNICE - QATIF - TARUT') PASSENGERS GIVING IDENTITY CARDS TO OFFICER TWO OFFICERS CHECKING TRUNKS OF TWO CARS OFFICER CHECKING INSIDE A TRUNK OF A CAR OFFICER CLOSING TRUNK OF CAR VARIOUS TRACKING SHOTS INSIDE QATIF CITY NASIMAH AL SALEM, SAUDI SHIITE SOCIAL WORKER AND HEAD OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION COMMISSION IN QATIF WALKING IN QATIF CITY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NASIMAH AL SALEM, SAUDI SHIITE SOCIAL WORKER AND THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION COMMISSION IN QATIF SAYING: "The demands of the demonstrators was the release of detainees. They were not specific demands belonging to a particular category, human rights claims, for example. In my view, they are legitimate claims, regardless of the method they used (the protesters)." STREET SHOT AT ONE OF QATIF STREETS WITH BLACK FLAGS GRAFFITI SPAYED ON WALL AGAINST SAUDI INTERIOR MINISTER AND CROWN PRINCE NAYEF BIN ABDULAZIZ , IN ARABIC ('NAYEF YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE- DEATH TO THE AL-SAUDI FAMILY') ARABIC GRAFFITI ('HEAD OF STATE SHOULD LISTEN, WE WILL NOT GIVE UP OUR RIGHTS) AND (WE SWEAR TO GOD WE WILL NOT FORGET THE MARTYR') ARABIC GRAFFITI ('WE WILL NOT CRY, WE WILL TAKE REVENGE') MORE OF ARABIC GRAFFITI ('WE SWEAR WE WILL NOT GIVE UP UNTIL WE REVENGE THE MARTYR') AND ('DEATH TO AL-KHALIFA - DEATH TO AL SAUD - DEATH TO AMERICA AND THE NATO') ('OUR SLOGAN FOR EVER: DOWN WITH MOHAMMAD BIN FAHAD (prince of the eastern Province)) AND ('THESE PEOPLES' DIGNITY CAN'T BE TRAMPLED ON') (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NASIMAH AL SALEM, SAUDI SHIITE SOCIAL WORKER AND THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION COMMISSION IN QATIF SAYING: "Our ambition is to be a united and co-operative society in all aspects of life, not talking about citizenship depending on the name of the citizen. We are far from each other and barriers divide us. The community in the south of the kingdom as in the north, west and east of the Kingdom are all the same, we all belong to one nation." STREET SIGN IN ARABIC AND ENGLISH ('AL AWAMYAH - SAFWA') BLACK BANNERS FOR THE DAY OF ASHURA, THE 10TH DAY OF THE HIJRI YEAR (ISLAMIC CALENDAR) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NASIMAH AL SALEM, SAUDI SHIITE SOCIAL WORKER AND THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION COMMISSION IN QATIF SAYING: "My message to all is that the use of violence does not lead to any results, but makes it worse. Of course, we do not support this in our country. Everyone is a victim and the first and last victim is the country." PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PHOTOS OF AL SALEM
- Embargoed: 12th December 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8U78147ZR7VKC10QT0IYRSXYC
- Story Text: Saudi police took extra precaution at check points around Qatif city on Friday (November 25) after two people were killed and three wounded in an exchange of gunfire in oil-producing eastern Saudi Arabia between security forces and what the government called gunmen serving a foreign power on Wednesday night (November 23).
The shooting raised the death toll to at least four in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province since last Sunday (November 20).
It broke out during the funeral of one of two people killed in what the government has described as a string of attacks this week on security checkpoints.
An activist in the provincial town of Qatif, who requested anonymity, said people had become angry at the funeral when the body arrived, chanting anti-government slogans, saying they witnessed riot police shooting in the air.
Nasimah Al Salem, a Saudi Shiite social worker and head of The National Communication Commission in Qatif said, "The demands of the demonstrators was the release of detainees. They were not specific demands belonging to a particular category, human rights claims, for example. In my view, they are legitimate claims, regardless of the method they used (the protesters)."
The government has implied that protests supported by members of the Shi'ite Muslim minority and attacks on police stations and checkpoints were instigated by its rival Iran.
Activists say they started after police at a checkpoint shot a young man on Friday (November 25), which the government denies.
Iran has denied the accusations that it is trying to destabilise Bahrain and an inquiry commissioned by the island state's government on Wednesday (November 23) said there was no evidence of Iranian interference.
Al Salem added, "Our ambition is to be a united and co-operative society in all aspects of life, not talking about citizenship depending on the name of the citizen. We are far from each other and barriers divide us. The community in the south of the kingdom as in the north, west and east of the Kingdom are all the same, we all belong to one nation."
Last month, the government pledged to use "an iron fist" after it said 14 people, including 11 members of the security forces, had been wounded in an attack on a police station in Awamiya, a village in Qatif district.
Saudi Shi'ites complain of systematic discrimination, neglect in public spending, and incitement against them in religious sermons and educational materials.
The kingdom, which is founded on an austere form of Sunni Islam and regards itself as the guardian of that faith, disputes this, and Saudi King Abdullah has appointed Shi'ite officials to advisory government bodies. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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