Saudi police opened fire to disperse protesters and three people have been injured in the city of al-Qateef, according to media reports. Authorities are trying to crack down on demonstrations to prevent the kingdom from being affected by the wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world. Further protests were planned for Friday. The government in Riyadh denied the reports and said police had only fired into the air.
Witnesses reported seeing riot police and special forces with batons and tear gas canisters. Earlier, the Interior Ministry had issued a stern warning that any demonstration was illegal and had warned activists that the security forces had been authorized to crack down on any protests. The kingdom's top clerics also condemned as “un-Islamic” calls for demonstrations and petitions, saying that "reform and advice do not take place through demonstrations and methods that fan sedition."
Online activists using the online platforms ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ have called for a ‘Day of Rage’ and a ‘Saudi March 11 Revolution’, demanding a fully elected parliament. Currently, the Shura Council is fully appointed and has only a consultative status.
The country's minority Shiites, who represent about 10 percent of the Saudi population and make up the majority of the protesters, have long complained about discrimination, saying they are barred from key positions in the military and government and are not given an equal share of the country’s wealth. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil-exporting country.
