March Intifada

History of Bahrain
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Ancient Bahrain
Dilmun
Tylos and Mishmahig
Awal
Historical region
Islam in Bahrain
Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami
Qarmatians
1058 revolution
Usfurid and Jarwanid dynasties
Jabrid dynasty
Portuguese occupation
Muqrin ibn Zamil
Antonio Correia
Safavid hegemony (1602–1717)
1717 Omani invasion of Bahrain
Al Khalifa and the British Protectorate
1783 Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain
Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship (1861)
1895 coup d'etat attempt and first oil well (1932)
20th Century Bahrain
National Union Committee
March 1965 Intifada
State Security Law era
1981 coup d'état attempt
1990s Uprising
2011–2012 uprising
Bahrain Portal v t e

The March Intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة مارس‎) was an uprising that broke out in Bahrain in March 1965. The uprising was led by Leftist groups, the National Liberation Front - Bahrain calling for the end of the British presence in Bahrain. The spark of the uprising was 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 nation wide uprising which would last for a month.^[1]

The uprising's motto was "Down down colonialism" (Arabic: يسقط يسقط الاستعمار)
^[2]

Role of Muharraq in the uprising

Muharraq 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", named after the Egyptian city that became famous during the 1956 tripartite aggression.^[3]

Martyrdom of Faysal Algassab

On April 14, 1965, an innocent civilian called Faysal Algassab was the first to be martyred in Manama. He was being chased by a police officer called Ahmad Alkhaloo who was carrying a gun with him, and when he was near his home, the officer shot him, causing Algassab to scream and his family and locals crowding the area where the officer and Algassab were in in, with Algassab's mother in front of the crowd. The officer continued to shoot Algassab until he died, causing his blood to be splattered on the walls of his house.^[4]

Deaths

Six civilians were killed by security forces during the uprising and they are:

• 1. Faysal Abbas Algassab
• 2. Abdullah Saeed Alghanim
• 3. Jassim Khalil Abdullah
• 4. Abdullah Hussain Bunadwa
• 5. Abdulnabi Sarhan
• 6. Abdullah Marhoon

Notable individuals who participated in the uprising

• Ali Rabea^[5]

See also

• History of Bahrain
• National Union Committee
• 1990s uprising in Bahrain
• 2011-2012 Bahraini uprising
• List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

References

External links

• March 1965 uprising - Bahrain Young Scholars
• Debate in British House of Commons
• The March Intifada and the Reorganization of the Arab Nationalist Movement - Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi
• The Role of the Working Class in the March 1965 Intifada - Ibrahim Kamaluddin
• March Intifada
• The Glorious Intifada of March 1965 - Al Wasat Newspaper, March 2, 2008
• Ian Henderson between the March 1965 Intifada and the 1990s Intifada - Al Wasat Newspaper, March 2, 2008
• Letter to Cairo on the Suffering of the People of Muharraq in the March 1965 Intifada - Al Wasat Newspaper, March 2, 2008
• Making the 11th of March a Day for Martyrs in Bahrain - Al Wasat Newspaper, March 2, 2008
• The March 5 Intifada: Image and /memory - Al Wasat Newspaper, March 5, 2008
• Between 5 March 1965 and 5 March 2008 - Alwaqt Newspaper, March 5, 2008
• Statement by 'Waad' on the Anniversary of the 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
• The March 1965 Intifada - Dr Hassan Madan, Al Ayam Newspaper, March 6, 2008
• The Participation of Nuwaidrat village in the 1965 Intifada - Jaafer Sumaikh, Aldemokrati Magazine, May 2, 2008