article_snippet: Bahraini anti-government protesters wait at barriers
article_snippet: Bahraini anti-government protesters had set up for Saudi forces called in to  prop up the monarchy against demonstrations in 2011.
article_snippet: The barrier in the foreground reads: 'Down with Sheikh Nasser Inspired by the Arab Spring, protesters in Bahrain had initially wanted to achieve greater political freedom and equality for the Shia muslims who form the majority of the population, as opposed to the ruling Sunni royal family.
article_snippet: However, following an attack on protesters who had gathered at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama on February 17, 2011, demonstrators began to call for an end to Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's rule.
article_snippet: The following month 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia and 500 troops from UAE arrived in Bahrain to quell the protests, and on March 15 the king of Bahrain declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency.