In his speech on Thursday HRH the Crown Prince said that the inherent freedoms, which each and everybody enjoys in this country, were misused and overtaken by extremists and their agenda.
“A group of extremists tried to intimidate and terrorise people, sever livelihoods, block streets and raise slogans that provoked turning against everything. We saw the killing and injuring and the crushing of social ties connecting the people of Bahrain, the tearing of our social fabric,” he said.
“At this critical period for our country, it is my duty to speak to you about the reality we have all experienced for nearly two months. We have witnessed unfortunate events and faced difficult situations. We were aware from the beginning the magnitude of what was occurring and the seriousness of the threat posed by those seeking to manipulate events,” he said
“We were immensely concerned that some of our youth were pushed towards a destructive path and that the nation was drawn along with them. With our responsibility towards the people of Bahrain, we took necessary action to preserve lives and the livelihood and interests of all the people, based on our commitment to Islamic and Arab values.
“The problem escalated beyond all limits. It is a great pity that we saw reluctance and hesitation from people who could have led the people towards a solution, allowing extremists to be the guiding influence. The damage wrought by extremism was only as harmful as the passiveness and reticence we saw when moderation and resolve was required.
“It was not realized that Bahrain was bigger than any narrow leadership divisions and above all calculations of segmentation that ignored others. This was due to an erroneous interpretation of the political, social and economic balance underpinning Bahraini society and a lack of understanding of our position as a member of the Gulf Co-operation Council, which binds us as one Gulf nation with a common history and joint destiny.
“Yet we should not forget that beyond recent events where we are today is, even with all the pain we feel a grace from God Almighty and has been delivered by the hands of the faithful people of Bahrain from all spectrums and components. They stood firmly against the tampering of the unity of our society. Whatever we say cannot fully express our appreciation to them.
“It is also my duty to extend our thanks and appreciation, after thanking God Almighty, to the brave members of the Bahrain Defence Force, police and National Guard who have, with great effort, reinstated security and safety in the Kingdom, preserving the lives of citizens and residents and protecting their property and interests.
“At this time, we must emphasise the established principles that all of us believe and have attained from the reform project of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The existing constitutional institutions, which have not been spared from attempts to obstruct their progress, will still be able- each in its specialization- to activate the development of the comprehensive reform project in the Kingdom. I will not spare any effort in participating, as honoured and assigned by His Majesty the King, to the progress of this reform.
“My brothers and sisters, Bahrain is a country we live in and lives in us. Upon its soil we have grown and there is no future for us, but in its embrace. From our souls we create a stairway to elevate the nation and from our wounds we build bridges