al-Malkiyah

Al-Jazeera reports on the latest controversy in Bahrain:

"Riot police in Bahrain have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at more than 500 demonstrators who were protesting against the seizure of their lands by a member of the royal family, according to local officials.

"Witnesses at the scene on Saturday said that a number of protesters were injured and that at least two people fell unconscious...

"The demonstrators were protesting against the construction of a wall along the village's shoreline.

"The 500-metre-long concrete wall was built two years ago on the orders of Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Salman al-Khalifa, a cousin of Bahrain's king, allegedly in an attempt to claim the walled-off stretch of land as his property.

"The wall has denied villagers, many of whom are fishermen, access to the seafront."

Sectarianism is irrelevant to this dispute, which is instead about the difference between rules and ruled.

I also like this quote from the Interior Ministry:

"Bu Najma was reported as saying: 'The tyres they burn are dangerous as well and produce noxious gases that can harm. In turn, the police use tear gas that is an internationally accepted tool to deal with violent protests.'"

Are we to understand from this that the government will become more tolerant of protestors if they invest in tear gas?