The March Intifada () was an
uprising that broke out in
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
in March 1965. The uprising was led by
Leftist
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
groups, the
National Liberation Front – Bahrain calling for the end of the
British presence in Bahrain and numerous notable individuals participated in the uprising, including
Wa'ad political activist
Ali Rabea.
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.
The uprising's motto was "Down down colonialism" (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: يسقط يسقط الاستعمار)
Role of Muharraq in the uprising
Muharraq
Muharraq () is Bahrain's third most populous city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2020 was 263,373.
Muharraq served as the country’s capital until 1932. It rose to prominenc ...
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
Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...
", named after the Egyptian city that became famous during the 1956
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...
.
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Deaths
On April 14, 1965, a civilian named Faisal Algassab was the first person to be killed as a result of participation in the Intifada. He was being chased by armed police officer Ahmad Alkhaloo who shot Algassab as he was returning to his residence, causing Algassab to scream in anguish, catching the attention of onlookers and spurring a large crowd at the scene. The officer continued to shoot Algassab until he was presumed dead, causing his blood to be splattered on the walls of his house.Al-demokrati (Archived)
Five other individuals were killed due to participation in the protests, including Abdullah Saeed Alghanim, Jassim Khalil Abdullah, Abdullah Hussain Bunawda, Abdulnabi Sarhan, and Abdullah Marhoon.
See also
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History of Bahrain
Bahrain was a central location of the ancient Dilmun civilization. Bahrain's strategic location in the Persian Gulf has brought rule and influence from mostly the Persian people, Persians, Sumerians, Assyrian people, Assyrians, Babylonians, Po ...
*
National Union Committee
*
1990s uprising in Bahrain
*
2011 Bahraini uprising
*
List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
This is a list of modern conflicts ensuing in the geographic and political region known as the Middle East. The "Middle East" is traditionally defined as the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia), Levant, and Egypt and neighboring areas of Arabia, An ...
References
External links
Debate in British House of CommonsThe 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
{{Authority control
Protests in Bahrain
Communism in Bahrain
Conflicts in 1965
Politics of Bahrain
Rebellions in Bahrain
1965 in Bahrain
Intifadas
Protests
March 1965 in Asia
April 1965 in Asia