( CNN ) -- Protesters -- and police -- took to the streets in Bahrain Wednesday as two years of simmering unrest boiled over into demonstrations demanding reform . Police fired tear gas to break up demonstrations . One opposition group said there were 60 protests in different areas . The anti-government opposition bloc called for mass demonstrations in the tiny island kingdom Wednesday , trying to reignite an uprising in which the majority Shiite population protested against the ruling Sunni minority . The government , meanwhile , said there has been an increase in militant activism in the country including injuries to security forces and civilians , and that authorities would act to maintain stability . A government statement Wednesday elaborated , saying `` In recent months , a series of militant tactics have been used across the country , including explosives , shotguns and rocket launchers amongst many others , all constructed in homes . '' Wednesday marked the 42nd anniversary of British forces pulling out of the Gulf kingdom . The opposition is using the slogan `` Bahrain Tamarod '' echoing the name of Tamarod , the protest movement that overthrew former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy . Ahead of Wednesday 's protests , legislators last month banned any demonstrations in the capital , Manama . They also approved tough new penalties for those who commit or incite `` terrorism , '' including stripping Bahrainis of citizenship . The government statement Wednesday categorized those actions as `` not based on people disagreeing with the government -- the purpose is to protect lives and livelihood of the majority of citizens . '' And the statement said , `` Bahrain has continued to allow citizens to exercise their right to express their grievances on various platforms , including in over 200 authorized rallies in the past year and half alone . '' 2011 crackdown . Spurred by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt , Bahraini citizens demonstrated in early 2011 , demanding democratic reforms and other changes in the way the country was run . But the movement failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings after a crackdown by authorities . Bahraini security forces were backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates . Demonstrators say authorities killed dozens of citizens and arrested , tortured and sentenced hundreds of others . Protests continue . Opposition leaders have tried to keep the protest movement alive . `` The thing about Bahrain is that nobody really knows what 's going on there because there 's not much media coverage but the protests never stopped , '' Maryam Alkhawaja , head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights , told CNN 's Mohammed Jamjoom . `` Every single day between 15 to 25 different areas come out to protest in Bahrain . Every single day , '' said Alkhawaja . But authorities have responded by continuing the crackdown . Global human rights activists have denounced what they call appalling human rights abuses by Bahraini authorities . In April , Human Rights Watch said security forces had raided homes and arbitrarily detained a number of prominent anti-government protest leaders . Bahrain is an ally of the United States and home to the 5th Fleet , a large U.S. naval presence in the Persian Gulf . Bahrain expels U.S. teacher , says she incited 'hatred '
Opposition group says there were 60 protests in different areas . Government says militant activism has increased recently , vows to maintain stability . Lawmakers last month banned any demonstrations in the capital . Human rights groups have criticized the conduct of Bahraini authorities .