Saudi Arabia 'day of rage' protest fizzles

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Los Angeles Times:

With the exception of restive Eastern province, few turn out for a 'day of rage' protest that had been talked about for weeks in Saudi Arabia. The call for demonstrations had drawn a stern response from the government.

Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia A call for protests in Saudi Arabia that had been talked about for weeks drew only a handful of people Friday, allowing the kingdom to keep at bay the waves of political unrest that have battered the Arab world.

The "day of rage" fizzled in all but restive Eastern province, where the country's minority Shiites have been holding demonstrations for weeks. Several hundred protesters turned out in the cities of Hofuf, Awamiya and Qatif to demand the release of political prisoners, according to news service reports.

But no protests occurred in other major Saudi cities, said Maj. Gen. Mansour Turki of the Interior Ministry. "You're seen the response of the Saudi people," Turki said. "This is their response to the call for protest."

The prospect of street protests in the highly conservative kingdom provoked people's curiosity, but few Saudis expected a big turnout.

Even though Saudi Arabia has serious problems with youth unemployment, official corruption and discrimination against women and religious minorities, even the kingdom's critics do not want to overthrow the royal family. Instead they call for a gradual shift to a constitutional monarchy, a sentiment that all but saps the day of rage of its rage.

"The street in Saudi Arabia has never been part of the political process," said Khalid Dakhil, a sociologist and columnist for the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat. "And the political and economic situation here is not as pressing as in Egypt."
________

Saudi Arabia stays stable. This is actually good news IMO, despite the Kingdom's many faults.

[SrWoodchuck]

Heard some reports that Saudi troops actually fired on some protest groups around the oil fields & refineries. Couldn't confirm yet.

[Sabre86]

Heard some reports that Saudi troops actually fired on some protest groups around the oil fields & refineries. Couldn't confirm yet.

Rubber bullets

[Casino67]

Heard some reports that Saudi troops actually fired on some protest groups around the oil fields & refineries. Couldn't confirm yet.

Rubber bullets

 

Financial Times has this story:

 

Police presence damps Saudi ‘day of rage’

 

Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2d7a4496-4bfa-11e0-9705-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1GM4uEGUl

 

A heavy police presence and conflicting reports about the identity of the organisers of a Saudi “Day of Rage” seem to have deterred protesters from rallying after Friday sermons in Riyadh.

 

Meanwhile, about 300 to 600 protesters continued to rally in the towns of al-Ahsa and al-Awwamiya in the oil-rich Eastern Province, demanding the release of nine Shia prisoners held since 1996. Waleed Sulais, a Shia activist from Qatif said the protests were not in response to the so called Day of Rage, but to protest against police opening fire on demonstrators on Thursday, which left two people wounded.

 

In Riyadh, thousands of security and anti-riot police were deployed across the capital’s main streets, in front of mosques, banks, shopping mall parking lots, and the Court of Grievances where protesters were urged to meet. Side streets linking main roads were blocked by security barricades, and check points were set up along the capital’s key roads.

 

One person showed up in front of the Court of Grievances, approached the journalists there and complained about corruption and injustice before he was taken away. It was not clear if he was arrested.

 

 

(Source)

[Valin]

Saudi Arabia stays stable. This is actually good news IMO, despite the Kingdom's many faults.

 

I Agree.

 

On a related note, I'm reading Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism Since 1979

Thomas Hegghammer

 

Product Description

Saudi Arabia, homeland of Osama bin Laden and many 9/11 hijackers, is widely considered to be the heartland of radical Islamism. For decades, the conservative and oil-rich kingdom contributed recruits, ideologues and money to jihadi groups worldwide. Yet Islamism within Saudi Arabia itself remains poorly understood. Why has Saudi Arabia produced so many militants? Has the Saudi government supported violent groups? How strong is al-Qaida's foothold in the kingdom and does it threaten the regime? Why did Bin Laden not launch a campaign there until 2003? This book presents the first ever history of Saudi jihadism based on extensive fieldwork in the kingdom and primary sources in Arabic. It offers a powerful explanation for the rise of Islamist militancy in Saudi Arabia and sheds crucial new light on the history of the global jihadist movement.