'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Report' [‎68r] (135/154)

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seems unfortunately to have joined the rahks of the
other Middle Eastern countries where political activity
is accompanied by violence and destruction. The first
of the three days set aside in these countries for
demonstrations against the partition of Palestine was
only marked here bV processions of schoolboys and youths
followed by a rabble of women and loafers who marched
round the town chanting slogans. A few minor incidents
tooK place, two cars, one belonging to a Jew and one
( carrying Jews, were stopped, and stones and mud were
thrown at them, An elderly deaf Jew was beaten up by some
unknown persons, and a doctor of the American Mission was
stopped by a crowd shouting, "Down with America, Zionists,
Russians and Communists", mud was also thrown at the houses
of Jews and some Iraqi Christians, and the windows of the
Eastern Bank, several of whose staff are Jews, were broken.
On the second day, there was a larger procession but no
incidents, on the third day, the procession was larger
again, and even more highly organised including an open
truck used as a rostrum for speakers. It conducted
itself in an, orderly way until it reached a building used
as a synagogue where a mass of people with it thrust into
the building'. The real organisers of the demonstration
then seemed to have disappeared, and the synagogue was
looted by the lower and tougher element of the town, many
of them non-Bahrainis. Within an hour 12 houses and three
shops belonging to jews were looted. The police seemed to
, have behaved fairly well but found, as is not unusual in
dealing with mobs in oriental cities, that on suppressing
a riot in one quarter it broke out in another. About 70
prisoners were taken, but these only represented a fraction
of the rioters. It is hardly possible to estimate the
amount of damage done; here again, only a small proportion
of the looted property has been recovered. On the evening
of the disturbances, a curfew was declared and an Elan pub
lished forbidding the meeting of more than five persons. No
further disturbances have since taken place. The instigators
of these and of other undesirable political activity in the
island are believed to be a set of young men who describe
themselves variously as the "National League", "popular Front"
etc; ordinarily, they confine themselves to pamphleteering
and a great deal of talk, but they appear to be quick to
seize advantage of any opportunity to make trouble, and it
is feared that their recent success may have emboldened them.*
The same element, it is reported, have been discussing
plans to sabotage the Bahrain Petroleum Company's refinery
and other works, but Ibn Baud's declaration of policy towards
his oil companies has had a good effect, and there is now less
talk^on these lines. One schemer is said to have proposed
letting loose cats soaked in paraffin-oil near the petrol
installations. 1
The Jewish community is allowing itself to be mulcted
of large sums of "protection money" paid, invariably by cheque
to those who profess, in most cases quite falsely, to be able
to shield them from further disturbance. The small community
of Jews here - there are only a few hundred - have also broad
cast their sympathy with, the "Arab Cause".
I
/263. Strikes.....
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