Bahraini crimes whitewashed by London
Although August 15 marks Bahrain’s independence from British rule, the despotic rulers of Bahrain don't recognize the day as such; instead, the state celebrates December 16 as National Day, to coincide with the day that the late emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ascended the throne.
Marking Bahrain's Independence Day in the shadow of a regime that rules with an iron fist, the exiled democratic opposition in London say it is an occasion which is more than worthy of celebrating, even though it remains incomplete.
We still do have the same ruling families who were supported by the British before, and we still have the same dictatorship and authoritarian rules.
Saeed El-Shehabi, Bahrain Freedom Movement
For decades now, one family, the Al Khalifa dynasty, has retained absolute power in Bahrain.
The current ruler, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has overseen deepening political repression, the jailing, torturing and banishing of political activists, and, more infamously, the brutal crushing of an uprising between 2011 and 2014.
Throughout their autocratic rule, the Al Khalifa family has been supported by a strategic European ally, the United Kingdom.
Members of the family have wined and dined with British royalty and been provided with millions of dollars worth of weapons.
In July 2023, Britain, which maintains a massive naval base in Bahrain, removed Manama from its list of human rights priority countries just a few days after Manama pledged to invest more than a billion dollars in Britain.
It's obscene, really, and obviously it's driven by an economic imperative, if Britain has economic interests as well as military interests in the area.
But I think for Bahraini people, and for those of us who are committed to see justice and democracy and peace across the world, to see that sort of relationship, as you say, the wining and dining, it just smacks of an obscenity, really.
Alex Kelly, Stop the War Coalition
Since July, power has changed hands in Britain and the demand from this seminar is a change in foreign policy.
Britain has a long and murky relationship with the regime in Manama, and has had an inglorious reputation in the region for even longer.
The participants in this seminar say that they have yet to see any indication that the UK government will reset its relations with the Manama regime, but are adamant that their struggle for freedom will continue.
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