SHAFAQNA – Large crowds of people in several countries have taken part in a series of protest rallies to condemn the Saudi invasion of Yemen.
On Friday, tens of thousands of protesters held a massive rally outside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in al-Quds (Jerusalem) following the Friday prayers.
The angry Palestinian demonstrators chanted slogans against the Saudi intervention in Yemen.
Bahrainis slam Saudi aggression
Meanwhile, some other protests were also held on Friday in the Bahraini village of Duraz and other regions to condemn the Saudi aggression.
Bahraini regime forces have also arrested a prominent opposition leader for condemning Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes in Yemen.
National Democratic Assembly Secretary General Fadhel Abbas was detained after calling the strikes an act of aggression and a violation of human rights.
The Manama regime has expressed support for the Saudi intervention in Yemen.
Supporters of Houthi revolutionaries
In Yemen, thousands of people also took to the streets of Sana’a to protest against the Saudi airstrikes on the city. According to local media reports, around half a million people took part in the anti-Saudi rallies.
Sources say similar demonstrations were also held in several countries across the Mideast and North Africa regions.
Yemeni people take to the streets in the capital Sana’a on March 26, 2015 to vent their anger on Saudi Arabia over invading Yemen.
Islamabad urged to denounce Saudi invasion
In Pakistan, thousands held protest rallies against the Saudi invasion of Yemen.
A massive demonstration organized by the Shia Action Committee and some other groups was held in the southern port city of Karachi following the Friday prayers.
The angry demonstrators condemned the Saudi aggression and the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for supporting the Saudi move.
A Pakistani man prays with others during a protest in Karachi against Saudi Arabia over its intervention in Yemen, March 27, 2015.
Similar rallies were held in other Pakistani cities, including the capital Islamabad, Lahore, and Quetta.
The protest rallies came a day after Saudi Arabia called on Pakistan to join the coalition.
The administration of Premier Sharif has supported the aggression but has refrained from joining the airstrikes.
The Pakistani government says it has sent a high-level delegation to Saudi Arabia to assess the situation.
Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan has warned Sharif against joining the Saudi invasion of Yemen.
“Are we entering into another struggle or a war and becoming part of it? I strongly oppose this. I’m saying this on behalf of the whole of Pakistan. Pakistan is fed up with this and people need peace. If we interfere in this (conflict), at the end the fallout will be in Pakistan. There will be more terrorism and more sectarianism. We strongly oppose this,” said Khan, the leader of the Movement of Justice party, on Friday.
Saudi warplanes carried out the first airstrikes on Yemen on Thursday, with the aircraft bombarding the capital Sana’a, the northwestern city of Sa’ada, and Ta’izz in the southwest.
Yemenis stand at the site of a Saudi airstrike against Houthi Ansarullah fighters near Sana’a Airport, Yemen, on March 26, 2015. (© AFP)
Reports say dozens of people have been killed since the airstrikes began.
The airstrikes against Yemen have drawn condemnation from many countries, including Iran, Russia and Iraq, as well as the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah.
The al-Arabiya news channel reported on Thursday that Saudi Arabia has deployed 100 fighter jets, 150,000 soldiers and other navy units for the military campaign in Yemen.
The blatant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty by Saudi Arabia has so far been ignored by international organizations, especially the UN, which has stopped short of condemning the ongoing Saudi onslaught against the Arab country.
Source : Press TV