Kuwait City: Thousands of people gathered in Kuwait city for a rally to denounce an emiri decree they see as designed to control the parliament on the event of controversial parliamentary elections.
Men, women and children wearing orange gathered to oppose a recent emiri decree that reduced the number of candidates a voter can elect from four to one. The opposition sees the move as an attempt to produce a parliament that is compliant with the ruling family.
The rally was the third of its kind, but the first major rally that was held with government permission. The two previous rallies were held in defiance of a government ban on rallies, which led confrontation with the police as well as the firing of tear gas.
Some protesters said that since confrontation was not expected, women and children had a chance to attend, swelling the number of protesters. Others have however opposed the seeking of permission for rallies, arguing that protesting is a legal right for Kuwaitis.
Dina Al Sayer, an usher at the protests, said she was there to ensure that protesters followed the designated rally route and ensure that slogans being chanted were in harmony with the goals of the movement.
“I am here to make sure that no slogans are chanted against the emir. We need to make it clear that no one here wants a regime change. We just want our constitutional rights, and the protection of our freedoms,” she said.
While some slogans indirectly criticizing the emir were heard, others stressed loyalty to the ruler, with some carrying pictures of the emir on flags. A number of slogans were written in English.
Some clung to the hope that emir may rescind the decree on the eve of the elections if the number of rally-goers was large enough.
“There’s a possibility that the decree will be rescinded tonight. It’s not impossible,” said a protester who refused to give his name. He insisted that 150,000 people had shown up. Others however estimated a maximum of 10,000 attendees. Previous rallies had reportedly attracted a significantly larger crowd.
While the rally was dominated by tribal groups, its slogans stressed the pluralistic nature of the protest movement, calling on urban and tribal Kuwaitis to join together to oppose the government’s perceived move towards autocracy.
The mood was jovial and the slogans were sung poetically for the most part. When firebrand opposition leader Musallam Al Barrak arrived, however, the mood turned angry and defiant among hundreds of people who followed as he stood shouting slogans in a slow moving pick-up truck.
There was a heavy police presence and helicopters occasionally hovered above. Policemen were often seen greeting those among the protesters they knew.
Volunteers wearing gloves were seen cleaning up water bottles and rubbish left as the rally ended.
