March Intifada

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The March Intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة مارس‎) was an uprising that broke out in Bahrain in March 1965. The uprising was led by Leftist groups, the National Liberation Front - Bahrain calling for the end of the British presence in Bahrain. The uprising was sparked by the laying off of hundreds of Bahraini workers at the Bahrain Petroleum Company on March 5, 1965. Several people died in the sometimes violent clashes between protesters and police.

Background and main events

The uprising started when students of Manama High School, which then was the only high school in Bahrain, protested against the laying off of hundreds of workers at BAPCO (Bahrain Petroleum Company), however, the protest was quickly suppressed by the infantry. The news of the crackdown created a nationwide uprising which would last for a month.^[1]

The uprising's motto was "Down down colonialism" (Arabic: يسقط يسقط الاستعمار)^[2]

Role of Muharraq in the uprising

Muharraq was a strong center of protests. The opposition managed to control the city for a few days, however, security forces entered it after clashes with residents. The people of Muharraq's resistance gave the city the nickname "Port Said", named after the Egyptian city that became famous during the 1956 tripartite aggression.^[1]

Death of Faisal Algassab

On April 14, 1965, a civilian called Faisal Algassab was the first to be killed in Manama. He was being chased by a police officer called Ahmad Alkhaloo who was carrying a gun with him, and when he was near his home, the officer shot him, causing Algassab to scream and his family and locals crowding the area where the officer and Algassab were, with Algassab's mother in front of the crowd. The officer continued to shoot Algassab until he died, causing his blood to be splattered on the walls of his house.^[3]

Deaths

Six civilians were killed by security forces during the uprising and they are:

• 1. Faisal Abbas Algassab
• 2. Abdullah Saeed Alghanim
• 3. Jassim Khalil Abdullah
• 4. Abdullah Hussain Bunawda
• 5. Abdulnabi Sarhan
• 6. Abdullah Marhoon

Notable individuals who participated in the uprising

• Ali Rabea^[1]

See also

• History of Bahrain
• National Union Committee
• 1990s uprising in Bahrain
• 2011-2012 Bahraini uprising
• List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

References

External links

• Debate in British House of Commons
• The Role of the Working Class in the March 1965 Intifada - Ibrahim Kamaluddin
• March Intifada
• The March Intifada in British Records - Ali Rabea, Alwaqt Newspaper, March 6, 2008
• The Heritage of 1965: Before and After - Alwaqt Newspaper, March 6, 2008