Saudi Protests Start Early

After a three-month medical hiatus the ailing king of Saudi Arabia returned to his throne and announced a $36billion economic package meant to placate Saudi reformers and the general public grown restless with corruption and unemployment, and inspired by the dramatic scenes of revolution in Tunisia and Egypt which saw too long-standing tyrants fall.

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The Saudi royal family expects subservience from its people much more than a republican dictatorship. The Saudi ruler is king, the self-styles custodian of the holiest sites in Islam, and his family even forced upon the people their name. Saudi Arabia has no constitution and does not even bother with the pretense of a legislative body the way Ben Ali and Mubarak did for show.

And while the royal court expressed mandated support for the Tunisian people's decision to overthrow their ex-leader (incidentally, he was offered exile in the kingdom), that was a decision they had to take considering Arab public opinion which was electrified like no other in by the Jasmine Revolution and, besides, Tunisia is far away from the kingdom and inconsequential for Saudi Mideast interests. But Egypt, a strong ally, is different and this is why the king wasted no time to express his solidarity with the now-deposed Mubarak and the Saudis even advised that the United States should support a brutal crackdown in Egypt if necessary.

The Saudis lost that and are still fuming mad. Now Bahrain and Oman are simmering revolutions on their borders. But the kingdom may no longer have time to worry about neighbors as its own revolution may be in the making:

THE POPULAR uprisings across the Middle East are sparking similar unrest in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with youth groups and workers in that country now calling for a “day of rage” demonstration in the capital, Riyadh, on March 11th.

Already there have been protests in the city of Qatif and other towns in the country’s oil-rich Eastern Province demanding, among other things, the release of political prisoners and a raft of social reforms. There are also reports of prominent Shia clerics being detained by the Saudi Sunni authorities, and security forces mobilising in anticipation of further protests.

Sadek al-Ramadan, a human rights activist in al-Asha, Eastern Province, said: “People here are watching closely the protest movements across the region, which are tapping into long-held demands for reforms in Saudi Arabia.” Al-Ramadan said that there are “deep frustrations” in Saudi society over high levels of poverty, unemployment, poor housing and perceived widespread corruption among the rulers of the world’s top oil exporter.

The corrupt and reactionary interior minister (third-in-line to be king) Prince Nayef recently stated that what was taken by the sword will be defended by the sword.

Expect the Saudis to be more brutal still against their people. Ben Ali and Mubarak were restrained angels next to this most vile of royal families.