Page 44 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

30 Records of Bahrain

-13-

41*. Sl^MM/iIlY OV OHSCHVATJONG ON Till'. Al'TAIll,

1) ♦ The riot was entirely a lotting of had blood
botwoon Gunniteu and ShiItos, or from a political aspect.
between Arabs and Uuhurlna# Ho fooling against
foreigners, Christians or Jons was observed#
2)# No-one was killed arid the damage to property

was negligible# Total casualties were about 70 of which
11 were serious#
3). Although u programme for the different
processions was, os usual, worked out by the police

beforohend and fairly well kept to, the outbreak showed
that the police ore not udoquntoly drilled in crowd-
control, or In dealing with straot fights and muklng arrostd
among a hostile crowd# There is a real need for more

hrltiah officers - a nuod Instinctively felt by the
people themselves and admitted by the Advisor#
4). Although the Sunnites wore in nearly evory
cuue the eggrousors, uo Uio Government is Sunnite there
ic u distinct bias on the part of the police against

the Shiites# Vile Hiller and members of Ills family lpy
the blame for tho disturbances on the Shiites and, from
such remarks us "In Shaikh lisa's day these processions
wore not allowed", it is to bo deduced thut if any

measures uro takon iu wrevent uiaturb&ncos on future
"1 i.shourau", they will be restrictions on the froodom of
tho uhiitoa - which, of course, will create another
political grievance.
G). Up to tlio ond of Soptombor the Government's
enquiry into tho Uisturbuncos had not begun and only
tv/o or three arrests had boon made# Tho Huler's

/view • • t