* Demonstrators clash nightly with police
* Family of dead protester hopes to hold funeral
* Virtually no impact within race “bubble”
By Alan Baldwin
MANAMA, April 22 (Reuters) – Formula One drivers will race
in Bahrain on Sunday while rage boils on the streets outside,
among protesters who denounce the Grand Prix as a gaudy
spectacle by a ruling family that crushed Arab Spring
demonstrations last year.
Demonstrators hurling petrol bombs have clashed nightly with
police this week, and security forces responded with teargas,
rubber bullets and birdshot.
The death of 36-year-old protester Salah Abbas Habib – found
sprawled on a rooftop on Saturday after overnight clashes –
provides more fuel for outrage among a Shi’ite Muslim majority
that complains of being marginalised by ruling Sunnis.
His funeral could be held on Sunday if his family recovers
his body, setting the stage for riots on race day.
The luxury sporting event is the government’s chance to
prove that life has gone back to normal in the island kingdom
after security concerns over anti-government demonstrations
forced last year’s race to be cancelled.
Bahrain, a close military ally of the United States, is the
only one of the Gulf monarchies to have been seriously
threatened by Arab Spring protests that brought down the rulers
of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen since the start of 2011.
“Our initial demands were to elect a new government but
after the disgusting abuse we received, all the people are
asking for is for the regime to fall,” said protester Ahmed
Madani during a march of 7,000 people on Saturday.
Some banners held up during the march depicted Formula One
race car drivers as riot police beating up protesters.
“STUFF THAT REALLY MATTERS”
The violence outside has had virtually no impact within the
sealed bubble of Formula One, apart from a few staff of two
teams who witnessed a petrol bomb-throwing incident.
Red Bull’s world champion Sebastian Vettel, who starts at
pole position, said shortly after arrival on Thursday that he
thought much of what was being reported was hype.
He looked forward to getting in the car and dealing with the
“stuff that really matters – tyre temperatures, cars”.
But nightly TV images of streets ablaze with clouds of smoke
and teargas are an embarrassment for Formula One and the global
brands that lavish it with sponsorship. Thomson Reuters, parent
company of Reuters, is a sponsor of the Williams Formula One
team.
Jean Todt, president of Formula One’s governing body, the
International Automobile Federation, broke a media silence on
Saturday to say he was sorry “about what has been reported”.
“I am not sure that all that has been reported corresponds
to the reality of what is happening in this country,” he added.
The Bahrain government says it has enacted reforms after
cracking down on demonstrators last year while revolts were
sweeping across the Arab world.
King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who will attend Sunday’s
race, said in a statement overnight that he wanted “to make
clear my personal commitment to reform and reconciliation in our
great country. The door is always open for sincere dialogue
amongst all our people.”
Bahrain’s government is thought to have spent $40 million to
host the event. While motor sports journalists have been invited
to cover it, reporters from Reuters and some other news
organisations who normally write about Middle East politics have
been denied visas.
Hackers brought down the F1 website intermittently on Friday
and defaced another site, f1-racers.net, to support what they
described as the Bahraini people’s struggle against oppression.
The race has drawn more than 100,000 visitors and generated
over $500 million in spending. It has been a symbol of pride for
the ruling royal family since Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin
Hamad al-Khalifa brought the first Formula One Grand Prix to the
region in 2004.
The continued hunger strike of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, one of
14 men jailed for leading last year’s uprising, is further
inflaming the street and his health has entered a critical stage
after over 70 days. His family says he stopped taking water on
Friday, raising fears for his life.
Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said on
Twitter: “I wish the hunger striker comes back to his senses.
Nobody wants him to die.”
(Writing by Isabel Coles and Andrew Hammond in Dubai; Editing
by Peter Graff)
