Bloody Thursday (2011)

Bahrain's Bloody Thursday
Part of the Bahraini uprising (2011–present)
Riot police firing tear gas from above a flyover while others are moving from below it towards Pearl Roundabout
Location	Pearl Roundabout, Manama, Bahrain
Coordinates	26°01′39″N 50°33′00″E / 26.02750°N 50.55000°E / 26.02750; 50.55000Coordinates: 26°01′39″N 50°33′00″E / 26.02750°N 50.55000°E / 26.02750; 50.55000
Date	17 February 2011 (2011-02-17) 3:00 am (UTC+3)
Target	Clear Pearl Roundabout of protesters
Attack type	Pre-dawn raid
Weapons	Knives Clubs Tear gas Stun grenades Birdshot Machine guns
Deaths	4 protesters
Non-fatal injuries	300+
Perpetrators	Public Security Forces National Security Agency (NSA) Bahrain Defence Force (BDF)
Number of participants	1,000 Security forces Non-specified number of plain-clothed officiers from the NSA, Criminal Investigations Department and BDF Intelligence

External video

Ministry of Interior spokesman Tariq Al-Hassan on Bahrain TV on YouTube

Bahrain's Bloody Thursday (Arabic: خميس البحرين الدامي‎‎) is the name given by protesters in Bahrain to 17 February 2011, the fourth day of their national uprising. Bahrain security forces launched a pre-dawn raid to clear Pearl Roundabout in Manama of the protesters camped there, most of whom were at the time asleep in tents; four were killed and about 300 injured. The event led some to demand even more political reform than they had been before, calling for an end to the reign of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The clearance was described by witnesses as being brutal and sudden. Clouds of tear gas covered the area, and volleys of birdshot were fired on those who refused to withdraw. Medics, ambulances and a journalist were reportedly attacked as well. Sporadic clashes broke out around Bahrain hours after the raid. During the afternoon the National Guard and army deployed armoured vehicles, tanks, more than 50 armoured personnel carriers and set up checkpoints in the streets around the country. Protesters then took refuge at Salmaniya Medical Complex and continued their agitations; thousands of them chanted "Down with the king, down with the government."

The government accused protesters of attacking the security forces, 50 of whom sustained injuries, and insisted that action had been necessary to pull Bahrain back from the "brink of a sectarian abyss". But opposition parties dismissed the government's account as a "silly play", described the raid as a "heinous massacre" and submitted their resignations from the lower house of Parliament.