Bahrain's Ministry of Culture and Information, claimed that 300,000 Bahraini residents (more than fifty percent of the local population; Bahrain local population is 568,000), has gathered in the grounds opposite Al Fateh Mosque in Manama to support the ruling monarchy. It was announced that the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix would be postponed from its original date on 13 March to a later date. On 22 February, a Martyr's March was announced and a funeral of one of the protesters killed earlier in the week also took place, along with the expected arrival of Hasan Mushaima, the leader of the opposition group Haq movement. Pro-monarchy demonstrators marched in large numbers in other parts of the city. Reports suggested that over 100,000 anti-government protesters were out on the streets, more than seventeen percent (17%) of all Bahrainis, the march extended up to long. King Hamad ordered the release of 308 political prisoners. For the tenth day in a row, on 23 February anti-government protests continued and protesters were still present at the Pearl Roundabout. The Shia Ulama Council called for a big rally on 25 February, after Friday prayers to mark a day of mourning for the protesters killed by security forces. The protests planned to start from two different locations, one of which is the Salmaniya Medical Complex, which received all the medical cases since the start of the anti-government protests, with the other being the Seef junction. The two rallies were to meet in Pearl Square. US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen visited Manama to meet King Hamad and Crown Prince Salman. He said the visit was aimed at "reaffirming, reassuring and also trying to understand where the leaderships of these countries are going, and in particular in Bahrain." The BBC News reported that crowds of more than fifteen thousand continued to gather in Pearl Square without signs of police or army presence on the streets. The government declared a national day of mourning in respect of protesters who had been killed in previous clashes. Meanwhile, opposition leader Hassan Mushaima remained in Lebanon where he alleged that he was being denied passage to Bahrain contrary to promises by the government that he would no longer be wanted for arrest. 26 February – 5 March On 26 February, the king dismissed several ministers in an apparent move to appease the opposition. The government also announced that it would cancel