Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter IV — Narrative of Events of February and March 2011
removing the regime, the rejection of sectarianism, the affirmation of national
unity and denouncing the death of peaceful protesters.
390. Sheikh Ali Salman gave a short statement at the event. His speech
was not scheduled to be given at the demonstration, but seemed to have been
prepared to address the sectarian clashes of the previous night in Hamad
Town. He lauded the peacefulness of the demonstrators, denounced attempts
to cause a sectarian rift between Bahrainis, affirmed that the safety of every
Sunni household was the responsibility of the Shia, and vice-versa, and
condemned any assaults on Bahrain citizens or foreign residents.
391. Similar to earlier demonstrations, the protest at the Council of
Ministers seemed to have been well organised. The chants heard during the
protest were read out by one person and were aired on a mobile speaker
system that had loud speakers placed on poles carried by the demonstrators.
Many of the participants carried Bahraini flags and walked in a relatively
orderly procession to the Council of Ministers and back to the GCC
Roundabout.
392. As part of his ongoing preparatory consultations for the national
dialogue, HRH the Crown Prince held two important meetings during the day.
The first was with Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Mahmood and other members of the
Gathering of National Unity. The second meeting was with Sheikh Ali
Salman, during which the Crown Prince urged Al Wefaq to reconsider the
preconditions it had placed on its participation in the national dialogue, as
such preconditions could undermine the entire reform process. Sheikh Ali
Salman suggested that Al Wefaq could abandon the demand for the
resignation of the GoB, but that it could not present any further concessions
on the remainder of the demands presented in the 3 March document.
Saturday, 5 March 2011
393. The most significant event of the day was the organisation of a human
chain between the Al-Fateh Mosque in Juffair and the GCC Roundabout as a
display of national unity. The former had been the site of relatively progovernment
demonstrations, while the latter was the centre of opposition
activity and protests.
394. People first started to gather at the Al-Fateh mosque in the early
afternoon. By 15:15, buses were reported to be transporting individuals to the
area to begin forming a human chain that would extend to the GCC
Roundabout. As the number of people participating increased, the human
chain began to grow into neighbouring areas. By 16:00, it had reached the
vicinity of the Bahrain National Museum, and from there it arrived at the
Sheikh Issa bin Salman Bridge and then proceeded to the King Faisal
Highway. By 17:00, participants in the human chain reached the GCC
Roundabout.
395. As noted above, the purpose of the demonstration was to display the
unity of the Bahraini people. Participants, who included both women and
men, lined up along the street carrying signs denouncing sectarianism and
reaffirming their commitment to coexistence and harmony between Shia and
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