(2 Jan 2015) Clashes erupted between riot police and anti-government protesters in Bahrain on Friday, during a demonstration to demand the release of Sheikh Ali Salman, whose opposition political party commands a strong following among Shiite Muslims in the country.
The Shiite cleric and leader of Al-Wefaq Society was arrested on Sunday.
He has been accused of inciting hatred against the Sunni-led monarchy and calling for its overthrow by force.
Protesters have taken to the streets daily to demand his release.
In Salman's home village of Bilad al-Qadeem, a suburb of Manama, protesters marched through the streets, holding up posters of Salman and shouting "Down with Hamad," referring to the king.
Although the march was largely peaceful, clashes erupted when riot police fired tear gas at masked young men who threw stones back and taunted the police with posters of Salman.
Al-Wefaq has played a leading role in the mostly Shiite-led protests that erupted in February 2011.
The United Nations, European Union and United States have expressed concern over Salman's arrest, which has been widely viewed as an escalation likely to deepen the political standoff between the Arab nation's majority Shiite population and its Sunni-led monarchy.
Al-Wefaq is demanding greater power-sharing between elected lawmakers and the Sunni monarchy, the release of political prisoners and a prime minister chosen by elected officials and not the king.

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