Page 39 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

Disturbances and strikes, 1953-1954 25

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Aaqlstant(Political Agent and I were together at the
Fortj Mr.Barkhurst tho Gonural Manager cD BAPCO telephoned
to qoy that a crowd of about throe hundred.Sunnit? workers
woro now demanding transport with menaces and•ho thought
they would do some damage if thoy didn*t got it, I asked

the Assistant Political Agent to go to .Awali t.o ,qoo. what
he could do to help and if possible persuade tho Manager
to prevent or at least deluy the doscent .of.the Sunnites

from there - though it soeraed unlikely that the Company
dare refuse transport, and in any case tho vjorkers wore
getting hold of other vehicles. As it was by no.qoans
cloar that tho Muharraq mob would be stopped, the Adviser

and I decided to go to the Shiite quarter of Manama again,
wh?re the trouble would bo if the Sunnite3 penetratod,
16, We found a groat crowd of Shiites closely packed in

tho court of the ma1tam of Sayed Mahmood, the approaches
to which they had barricaded with flimsy spare and crates,
A force of police and naturs - about a dozen - was
stationed some short distance on the Sunnite 3lde of this
obstacle. The Baharina obviously considered themselves

tho losing side and clamoured for protection, What, they
wanted was British police officers. Inspector Hyde, the
one British officer of thp Bahrain police was there and
exercising a reassuring influence. The Adviser thought it

beat to persuade the Baharina to keep all together in
own
their/quarter for tho ro3t of the day, so as to avoid .
individual fights with Sunnites in the bazaar - it being
unlikely that the Sunnites would attack a concentration pf
Shiites. It seemod to be on occasion for somebody to

make a speech and the crowd, squatting expeotanly. down,

/looked • • •