The following days saw national strikes and more marches. Some expats left the island. The girls' school was closed for two days and once it re-opened, the usual fire drill was replaced by a "lock-down" drill during which all classroom doors were locked, blinds drawn and the kids were instructed to sit silently on the floor until danger passed. All a bit nerve-wracking.
The Crown Prince then ordered the withdrawal of troops and police from the streets and anti-government protesters once again took over the roundabout. A hard core has remained camped out there ever since, with others joining them each evening after work to show solidarity. The atmosphere has become once again that of a large festival, with food stalls, canteens, barbers, stages for speakers and an ad-hoc press centre.
Various large marches towards the roundabout have been organised over the course of the past week, with the emphasis on peaceful protesting. The largest protest was last Tuesday, when hundreds of thousands headed to the roundabout, blocking motorways and causing traffic chaos. But there were no reports of violence. I got caught up in the queues and saw cars full of families heading into town with Bahraini flags flying from their windows and roofs. The new slogan of the protesters has become: No Sunni, No Shi'ite We are all Bahraini. Their key demands are a change of government, a constitutional monarchy and the release of all political prisoners.
A comprehensive national dialogue is now underway to allow all parties to voice their demands and concerns. Hundreds of political prisoners were released earlier this week, a prominent opposition leader has been allowed to return from self-imposed exile in the UK and four cabinet ministers have been replaced.
Over the past couple of weeks there have also been massive pro-government protests, lauding the achievements of the Royal Family and the government. The local English daily newspaper has been full of letters from Bahrainis and expats alike furious at what they see as irresponsible, one-sided journalism by the western media. Bahrain, they say, is not Tunisia or Egypt, the people here are free, women can vote, work and drive and the hijab is not obligatory, education and health services are free and housing and petrol heavily subsidised.
Whatever your view, the events of the past weeks have deeply affected the country, both emotionally and economically. The Formula One has been cancelled as have the majority of the acts at the country's popular Spring of Culture Festival (yup, Julio Inglesias is not coming to croon) and many countries are advising their citizens not to travel here, which is a disaster for the fledgling travel industry.
While day-to-day life here for most of us is more or less back to normal, we wait with interest to see what the next weeks bring and how Bahrain weathers this storm.
