Chief of Public Security Major-General Tariq Al Hassan said that Al Wefaq National Islamic Society had submitted requests to hold ten rallies in various locations in the Kingdom on Friday.
He explained that after reviewing the security plans and the law on public assemblies, it was decided not to grant permission for the rallies, noting that holding them in vital locations and at the proposed timing will damage people’s interests and disrupts the traffic.
Al Hassan also said that such rallies do not meet the requirements of responsible freedom of speech guaranteed by the Kingdom’s Constitution and law as they do not take into consideration the economic and service interests of the citizens and residents, indicating that many rallies organized by Al Wefaq before were associated with illegal violations by a number of participants, hence it isn’t capable of controlling them.
The Chief of Public Security emphasised that it was illegal to take part in the rallies, stressing that legal action would be taken against violators.