Municipal accident

In about ten and one quarter of the morning of March 11, 1956, and while one inspector of Manama municipality was doing his daily duty in regulating the markets to prevent hawkers encroachment on the pavements and roads, an altercation occurred between the municipal inspector and some vendors who refused his instructions to clear the pavement. The inspector called a policeman who tried to move the hawkers stuff and boxes by force; the hawker refused to do so, which led to a scuffle between them. In the meantime, people gathered slowly and tried to confront a number of policemen who were present at the market.

Later, the policemen fled to the municipality building, which was close to the market and have taken refuge there. People began congregating at the municipality and were demanding the policeman who struck the seller; they remained in the assembly throughout the day. At three in the afternoon, the policemen tried bring a large freight car to the door of the municipality to free the police personnel who were trapped in the building, however, the attempt failed, and after less than half an hour, I heard gun shots from police, who were firing in the air to disperse people. The police force was led by the British Colonel Hmersli.

However, the vendors were angry and an easy target for incitement practiced by the invisible groups who rushed to the scene of the incident to take advantage of the situation. Increased tension between the two sides has reached the stage of beating with fists and some light weapons like barrels, knives and sticks. It seems that the police were few compared to the many angry vendors, and this led some members of the police to show angry reactions and to shoot in the air and in a variety of destinations with severe confusion. This has led to the injury of a number of people by stray bullets, though the government orders to the police stressed not to fire without direct orders, and Colonel Hmersli knows this very well. The opportunity was appropriate for riots; an immediate declaration for a general strike in the country was made! Riots and angry demonstrations spread in the streets and markets, which led to the eruption of violence and demagoguery, which reached the level of burning many cars and shops.

Here lies the true sharing of roles between some elements of the committee and the English Counsel Biljrev, who at once declared his intention to play the role of a mediator between the government and the people! While recognizing the many obscurities of the role of the adviser and the involvement of some elements in the incident, His Highness Sheikh Salman bin Hamad voiced readiness to accept the advisers proposal as long as he is seeking to calm the situation in the country.

Here we must refer to the awareness of a wide range of people and the role that was played by Biljrev the Counsel, therefore, many claims arouse to expel him. In fact, what happened in Jordan when General Clob, the Chief of Staff of the army was dismissed and expelled in the 92 February 1956, was still in the minds of Bahrainis, who link between the presence of Biljrev in Bahrain with the presence of Clob in Jordan. At the same time, it must be said that the practices of Biljrev were refused by a number of British officials themselves. According to a confidential correspondence between the political resident and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carrying number (No. 55 / 66 / 1 / 1101) and the date of September 5, 1955: in fact, we are now paying the price of thirty years of the biased, despotic policy of Charles Biljrev in Bahrain. On the other hand, the one-man management system of Richard Biljrev, which focuses everything of importance in his hands, even on the level of imminent signing of a ten rupees cheque, shows daily his inadequate to deal with the increasing number and the expanding range of problems.

... When the Bahraini people called for the dismissal of Counsel Biljrev, they did not do so for personal reasons but for the role he was doing.

There is no more precise description than what was written by a British writer, Mr. Eun, in a book that was published in London in 1957 describing the practices Counsel Biljrev saying: he (i.e. Biljrev) could have arrested any person as being the head of the police corps, trial him in the courts of law as the President of the judiciary, and sentence him and consider the request of his appeal against the sentence as the President of the Court of Appeal)!!.

In clarification of the circumstances of the incident and to prevent the prevalence of the tendentious rumors, the government issued a statement on the 12th of March 156 that stated: The government of Bahrain feels sympathy for the victims of yesterday, but it was determined to keep order in all cases and the police have orders in this regard, and they are executing it decisively and moderately. All citizens should return to business as usual and continue their daily routine quietly.

The necessary protection will be given to all those who wish to practice their work. The representatives of workers in the Labor Union have agreed that it is not legal to beat workers for political reasons as it is the case in all countries that have the labor law and workers, but at the same time the government will continue its policy in the progressive course, and it will invite the public to contribute to this through the current possibilities and what will be announced in the near future. The Police will make the necessary investigations about the cause of yesterdays disaster.

The statement ended. The British Political Resident has also issued a statement on these unfortunate events on the 16th of March 1956 that stated:

"Based on the desire of His Majesty the Governor of Bahrain, the Political Resident of Her Majesty's government has performed deliberations with some of the people who came to discuss the affairs of Bahrain. I have handed the outcome of those talks to His Highness, who will announce what steps will be taken once the strike ends. "

The Political Resident wishes to inform the people of Bahrain that Her Majestys Government by His Highnesss side with the utmost readiness to offer all possible assistance to maintain security and order in the country. The statement ended.

If it is strange that such ordinary incidents that occur daily in dozens of markets evolve into shooting incidents, demonstrations and a general strike, then it would be even more bizarre that the incidents of disputes between individuals headed news broadcasts mainly in Britain!! On the 17th of March 1956, a statement was issued by an official source at the British Foreign Ministry in London that stated: we are pleased to announce that the situation in Bahrain is calm, and we have full confidence in His Majesty and his advisers, and we will put forward all the necessary assistance for the implementation of the program, which will include gradual steps to raise the standard of living in the country and to proceed its systematic, constitutional advancement.

Also issued on the same day and from the same source the following statement: some radio channels reported that some of the members of the Iraqi police were on the way to Bahrain and this report is totally groundless, and the BBC in its evening broadcast today denied the news. The government of Bahrain has preceded these declarations and issued a statement on the same day saying: we announce to the public that we will investigate the incidents, which occurred in front of the Manama Municipality Building on March 11, 1956. This investigation will be derived from the general investigation in the incidents which led to disturbing the security and that took place in Bahrain on Friday, March 2, 1956.

Mr. Pace, the legal adviser of the government of Bahrain, and Mr. Mozli, deputy judge of the Court of the British Residence House in Bahrain will carry the investigations independently. This will include investigating the responsibility of encouraging and inciting people to disrupt security, as well as the position taken by the authorities to remedy that breach. The public will be allowed to attend those investigations, and we will publish the outcome of the investigations, and the government will take the necessary measures in the light of that investigation.

One look at the formation of the incidents investigation committee, and counting its members from the British staff excluding other government officials, is suffice to develop a set of questions on the impartiality of this committee and the role required of them, especially if we take into account Hmerslis role in the incident.