Page 61 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

Disturbances and strikes, 1953-1954 47

a general uproar, aiti the crowd ran to Agency, where
they clamoured to the Political Agent for the protection
of tho British against the Bahrain Uovej’ninent, Mr, Wall
persuaded them to disperse and return to their homes,
Thoy promised, however, to return the next day, In
addition to this demonstration at the Agency, the Shias

entered on a general strike, as a protest against the
sentences, which affected some 70# of the Bahrain
Petroleum Company labour force (mainly in non-producing
departments such as maintenance), and the Public Works
Department, The Customs Jetty was not much affected.

All the shops in the bazaar closed mainly because the
shopkeepers were apprehensive of rioting in Manama, and
of the Shia youths acting as strike pickets. Activity
also ceased in the fish and vegetable markets.
5,. On the morning of July 7 the Shias returned to
the charge and contingents of men from the villages were
arriving in buses in Manama at about 9.30. A crowd,
somewhat larger than on the previous day, gathered at the

Moamin Mosque to tho north of the Police Fort. A little
after 10.00 a.m. the crowd emerged from the Mosque,
and some two hundred of them moved over to the Police

Fort, having armed themselves on the way with bits of
wood, iron piping and leaves of motor-car springs. It
is not clear what the intentions of the crowd were.
They may have had an idea of freeing the Shia prisoners,
or the fort,- like the Bastille, may have represented
;
itself to their minds as a more general•symbol of oppression
and injustice. One of the police non-commissioned officers
! /did

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