Post date: Apr 22, 2012 1:10:39 PM
BUDAIYA, MANAMA, BAHRAIN (APRIL 22, 2012) (REUTERS) - Formula One drivers began their race in Bahrain on Sunday (April 22) as rage boiled on the streets outside, among protesters who denounced the Grand Prix as a gaudy spectacle by a ruling family that crushed Arab Spring demonstrations last year.
The Formula One motor race gets underway in Bahrain with tight security in the capital Manama, as the opposition mounts a third day of protest.
As the race began there was a heavy security presence outside Shi'ite villages dotted around the capital, Manama, that have seen clashes between demonstrators and police officers.
Outside one village, Budaiya, six armoured cars were seen guarding its entrances.
The residents, unable to leave, set fire to tyres, as they had done earlier on Sunday, sending a plume of smoke up across the Manama skyline.
For those inside the Formula One bubble, far from the scenes of protest, the unrest has had little impact.
Teams assembled at Bahrain International Circuit amid the usual security precautions ahead of the race.
At hotels where race participants were staying, guests swam and relaxed poolside in the morning. The highway to the circuit was lined with police cars.
The luxury sporting event is the government's chance to show that life has gone back to normal in the island kingdom after security concerns over anti-government demonstrations forced last year's race to be delayed, then cancelled.
It appears to have backfired, with nightly TV images of streets ablaze embarrassing Formula One and the global brands that lavish it with sponsorship. Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters, is a sponsor of the Williams Formula One team.
The death of 36-year-old protester Salah Abbas Habib - found sprawled on a rooftop on Saturday after overnight clashes - provides more fuel for outrage among a Shi'ite Muslim majority that complains of being marginalised by ruling Sunnis.
Bahrain, a close military ally of the United States, is the only one of the Gulf monarchies to have been seriously threatened by Arab Spring protests that brought down the rulers of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen since the start of 2011.
Its government crushed protests last year, swept demonstrators off the streets and bulldozed the traffic circle where they had camped. Thirty-five people, including security forces, died in that crackdown. Since then, Shi'ite areas have remained volatile and clashes have increased in recent months.
The Bahrain government commissioned an independent inquiry after last year's crackdown and says it is enacting reforms. Human rights groups say it is moving too slowly.
King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who was due to attend the Grand Prix, said in a statement overnight he wanted "to make clear my personal commitment to reform and reconciliation in our great country. The door is always open for sincere dialogue amongst all our people."
Staff of two teams witnessed petrol bomb-throwing incidents and some members of the Force India team left Bahrain. But most of the travelling Formula One entourage have had no interaction with the violence taking place mainly outside the capital.
Bahrain's government is thought to have paid 40 million U.S. dollars to host the event, a symbol of pride for the ruling family since it brought the first Grand Prix to the region in 2004. When it was last held in 2010, the race drew more than 100,000 visitors and generated 500 million USD in spending.
While motor sports journalists were invited to cover it, reporters from Reuters and some other news organisations who normally write about Middle East politics were denied visas.