Stateless protesters attacked in Kuwait

The Kuwaiti police disperse around 1,000 stateless Arab protesters rallying for the second time in four days in a plea for equal rights with the country's citizens. The riot police used water cannon and tear gas canisters to confront the protesters in the al-Jahra province, located to the northwest of the capital Kuwait City on Monday. Police charged demonstrators repeatedly and detained a number of people, including one reporter covering the protest, witnesses said. Some leading activists, including former parliament member Mohammed al-Khalifa and Ibtihal al-Khatib, a university lecturer, had joined the rally. The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said the protesters had caused “property damage and wounded a police commander,” prompting the use of force. The ministry vowed in a statement to “deal firmly and with severity with any illegal gatherings or marches organized in the future.” Last week, the Kuwaiti riot police beat some protesters and arrested 25 others during a similar demonstration by some 200 stateless Arabs near Kuwait City. Stateless Arabs, known as Bedouins, often hold small-scale demonstrations in marginalized neighborhoods near the capital. The number of the Bedouins in Kuwait is estimated at up to 180,000.