[View the story "Qatif unrest and what lies ahead" on Storify ]Qatif unrest and what lies ahead Arrest of cleric sparks renewed protest in Shia community. Storified by The Stream · Tue, Jul 17 2012 11:16:06
A speech by outspoken Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr calling for Saudis to rejoice in the
death of Crown Prince Nayef has led to an escalation in protests.
ShiaTV.net - Saudi Ayatullah Sheikh Nimr: We Should Rejoice / No fear of Al E Saud - Arabic sub EnglishSaudi Ayatullah Sheikh Nimr: We Should Rejoice / No fear of Al E Saud - Arabic sub English Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr Dares Saudi Regim...
This photo depicts his July 8 shooting and arrest.
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#BREAKING: Sit-In with candles nearby Aldababiyah graveyard in Central #Qatif demanding releasing of #Shaick_Nimer. http://pic.twitter.com/21ayUJ9tOccupy Qatif
Protests in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr arrested...#FreeSheikhNimir http://pic.twitter.com/PQ5lBoFQFatima Fak فاطمة
people of alqatif are cancel there widdings and partys Grief because the martyrs and because the goverment arrested shikh nimr al nimrثوار القطيف
Many took to Twitter in defense of al-Nimr:
#AlnamerInRisk He is the moderate cleric who reasonably, bravely, religiously and loudly criticize the #Saudi government. #QatifOccupy Qatif
I want to see the evidence - which you claim you have - that shows Nimr Al Nimr promoting racism, hatred or violenceAnarchist74
Unlike Nasrallah, Nimr Al-Nimr explicitly condemned Assad and enjoined resistance to any tyrant regardless of sect #Syria #QatifKhalil Abdullah
Al-Nimr's detainment has received more attention than the last controversial arrest, that of Saudi poet Hamza Kashgari:
Ten times the tweets last night on shooting of Sheik Nimr al Nimr compared2 prvs. spike on Hamza Kasghari @Mtwtron via indefatigable @ahmedEllen Knickmeyer
Videos like the one below, which cannot be independently verified, show protesters being dispersed by security forces' gunfire.
جانب من سقوط الجرحى والثبات أمام الرصاص - القطيف 8 يوليوintifadatalkarama
Some have taken to Twitter to defend the actions of security forces:
Petrol bombs were thrown during the night by unknown attackers at a parking lot of a Saudi A court in in Qatif distr,مصطفى الزرعوني
Terrorists are burning tyres in Saar; over arrest of Nimr Al Nimr in #Saudi this shows sectarian agenda #Bahrain http://pic.twitter.com/dn116rmhNakedeye3
This statement from the Saudi government, dated July 13, says four masked gunmen broke into the police station in Awamiyah - a village in Qatif - and threw molotov cocktails, at which point they were "dealt with" by security forces, resulting in the death of one of the alleged gunmen. The statement goes on to say that "troublemakers won't be tolerated, especially those that are armed".
صرح المتحدث الأمني بوزارة الداخلية اللواء منصور بن سلطان التركي أنه عند الساعة التاسعة والنصف من مساء هذا اليوم الجمعة الموافق23 /8 / 1433 تسلل أربعة من الملثمين المسلحين من راكبي الدراجات النارية إلى الجهة الشرقية من مركز شرطة العوامية ، وقام أحدهم بإلقاء قنبلة مولوتوف في حين باشر الآخرون إطلاق النار باتجاه المركز، وقد تعاملت معهم حراسات الموقع وفق ما يقتضيه الموقف مما نتج عنه مقتل أحدهم وفرار الباقين.
These three photos, which cannot be independently verified, are from the
Facebook page "Revolution East" . This one appears to show protesters in Qatif on July 13:
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This sign reads, "Crush them, crush them, wherever you find them. The people want the downfall of the regime".
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Women also appear to be key figures in the Qatif protests:
Hey, world: can we get some more media coverage on this“@OQatif: Women side in the demo in Central #Qatif #Saudi http://pic.twitter.com/SITEMcxI”Leena Al
The latest and youngest casualty in the Qatif protests came on July 13:
The man killed by security forces in Awwmiya tonight was identified as Abdullah Jaafar al-Lajami. He was 17 years old http://on.fb.me/MqfRjUAhmed Al Omran
The image below reads, "The happy martyr, Abdullah Jaafar al-Lajami, [died] 23/8/1433 Hijri [calendar]".
The tweet below reads, "Tomorrow (Tuesday) the body of the martyr Abdullah al-Lajami will be handed over, and the funeral procession will take place tomorrow at 7 p.m."
غذاً سيتم تسليم جثة الشهيد عبدالله الاوجاميوالتشييع ليلة الغد الساعة ٨ مساءاً #Qatif http://pic.twitter.com/F2XqYbYCmohamd alnemer
Al-Lajami's body was handed back to his family on Tuesday, but he appeared to have sustained injuries to his face.
WARNING: Graphic image.
Father of martyr Abdullah is crying standing beside the body of his son. #Awamia #Qatif http://pic.twitter.com/4YeoaUOTOccupy Qatif
This tweet reads, "Never in my life have I seen a dirtier, more repressive regime that takes away choice than that of Saudi Arabia".
لم أرى في عمري نظامٌ أقذر و أوسخ و أظلم و سارق الخيارات أكثر من النظام السعودي #سجن_الحاير #Saudi #Qatif #مجتهد #saudiarabiaZMH
Many have reacted to the unrest in the Eastern Province by questioning motives on both sides:
Saudis are definitely making Nimr into a hero. Question is: is this intentional b/c he is the best face of Saudi Shia for their purposes?Kirk H. Sowell
Shia protests are not a negative for the Saud. It is good for how they want to frame protests to have Shia and clerics like Nimr up front.Kirk H. Sowell
Saudi forces fire live rounds into unarmed protesters. The injured are picked up, carried away and protest continues.Nargis Taqi
Nabeel Rajab incarcerated & Al-Nimr shot. Has anyone written a 'Dummies Guide to Pursuing Stability' yet? #Bahrain & #Saudi need one, statMarc Owen Jones
Ironically Shia protesters in #bahrain are against the gcc union but they chant we are 1 with the ppl of #qatif shia in #ksamohammed al-otaibi
I'm sure Saudi Arabia will tame its unrest. Strong governmentB r e n t
Protests also recently arose in Qassim, Saudi Arabia's most conservative province. They called for the release of political prisoners, both Sunni and Shia:
The 2 most opposite cities in #Saudi, #Qassim and #Qatif are both protesting.If ppl A to Z want change,current system wont stand much longerBint Battuta
#Qassim & #Qatif both having protest in such short time apart ought to be making #Saudi Gov very nervous. As it should be.Arabeya
When the only "leader" condemning ur arrest is #Hezbollah 's Hassan Nasrallah maybe its time 2 make new friends #Nimr_al_Nimr #KSA #GCCHadyah
It seems with #USA fully backing Wahabi Kingdom of #Saudi & other Wahabi monarchies , #Russia is posturing itself as pro-Shia #Pakistan #PTIKarachi_Post
Russia blames Saudi for “killing” few Shia activists (probably armed), while supporting Assad in killing 20+ K of innocent Syrians.Ugariti Homsi
The Saudi "Moderate" regime, as portaited in the US Media, is far from the model of Democracy peddled by Hillary Clinton, around the Middle East and the World, is offended by Russian comments , about its murderous crack down of its Shia Minority!Sergei Loutch
