The protests in Bahrain started on 14 February , and were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and respect for human rights ; they were not intended to directly threaten the monarchy . Lingering frustration among the Shiite majority with being ruled by the Sunni government was a major root cause , but the protests in Tunisia and Egypt are cited as the inspiration for the demonstrations . The protests were largely peaceful until a pre-dawn raid by police on 17 February to clear protestors from Pearl Roundabout in Manama , in which police killed four protesters . Following the raid , some protesters began to expand their aims to a call for the end of the monarchy . On 18 February , army forces opened fire on protesters when they tried to reenter the roundabout , fatally wounding one . The following day protesters reoccupied Pearl Roundabout after the government ordered troops and police to withdraw . Subsequent days saw large demonstrations ; on 21 February a pro-government Gathering of National Unity drew tens of thousands , whilst on 22 February the number of protestors at the Pearl Roundabout peaked at over 150,000 after more than 100,000 protesters marched there and were coming under fire from the Bahraini Military which killed around 20 and injured over 100 protestors . On 14 March , GCC forces ( composed mainly of Saudi and UAE troops ) were requested by the government and occupied the country . King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa declared a three-month state of emergency on 15 March and asked the military to reassert its control as clashes spread across the country . On 16 March , armed soldiers and riot police cleared the protesters ' camp in the Pearl Roundabout , in which 3 policemen and 3 protesters were reportedly killed . Later , on 18 March , the government tore down Pearl Roundabout monument . After the lifting of emergency law on 1 June , several large rallies were staged by the opposition parties . Smaller-scale protests and clashes outside of the capital have continued to occur almost daily . On 9 March 2012 , over 100,000 protested in what the opposition called " the biggest march in our history "
marched
March of loyalty to martyrs
Arab Spring