More interviews to follow… You can support Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) in filing a legal complaint against the corporations sponsoring Windsor Horse Show, and platforming Bahrain royalty through their crowdfunder (click here).

Bahraini human rights activists were supported by several groups including Campaign Against the Arms Trade and Stop The War Coalition, as they protested at the entrance to the Windsor Horse Show, where the King Of Bahrain was being hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

Last year, activists received phone calls from family members in Bahrain telling them that they were being held by the authorities and faced possible torture if protests went ahead in the UK. The threats were publicised, and this year, UK groups joined the Bahrainis in solidarity while a petition of more than 3000 signatures was handed in at Buckingham Palace against the King’s visit.

In 2011, during the Arab Spring uprisings, almost half the population of Bahrain rose up and took to the streets. Their protests were brutally quashed by Saudi military units and UK-trained police, with dozens killed, and thousands imprisoned and tortured. Since then the UK has sold around 82 million pounds worth of arms to the regime, and continues to provide police and military training in the guise of “reform” despite reports from organisations like Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, and others continuing to report on human rights abuses.