KUWAIT CITY, Nov 16:  Thousands of Kuwaitis stormed Par-liament on Wednesday after police and elite forces beat up protesters marching on the prime minister’s home to demand he resign, an opposition MP said.

“Now, we have entered the house of the people,” said Mussallam al-Barrak, who led the protest along with several other lawmakers and youth activists also calling for the dissolution of parliament over alleged corruption.

The demonstrators broke open parliament’s gates and entered the main chamber, where they sang the national anthem and left after a few minutes.

The police had used batons to prevent protesters from marching to the residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, after staging a rally outside parliament.

Witnesses said at least seven demonstrators and one securityman were injured and treated on the site. Some activists said they will continue to camp outside parliament until the premier is sacked.
Some of the protestors were said to have been arrested from the Parliament.

The injured included former MP Mohammad Al-Khalifa, Fawaz Al-Bahar, Fawaz Al-Shamari, Mohammad Al-Hamlan, Dr Mishari Al-Mutairi, Mohammad Al-Afasi, Dr Ahmad Al-Zaibadi and Khalid Al-Faraj.

The police had to use tear gas to disperse the demonstrators as they tried to head towards the residence of Prime Minister.

This happened when some of the demonstrators, along with one MP, later left the square and marched towards Sheikh Nasser’s residence, chanting slogans and calling for his resignation. However, the security forces stopped them, resulting in a violent clash as the protesters hurled stones at the officers who, in turn, beat a number of demonstrators, including some women. The security forces were able to control the situation but some of them were injured in the clash.

There were reports of a securityman also being hurt but this could not be independently confirmed.
The demonstrators then headed back to Erada Square, heeding the advice of the officers not to move towards the premier’s palace. However, some lawmakers, led by Al-Barrak, started moving towards the palace again and the securitymen had no option but to use tear gas to disperse the protesters. This led to another clash between the officers and demonstrators, causing injuries to more people, including Al-Khalifa.

Resignation
Earlier, about 2,000 people, including 18 opposition lawmakers gathered Wednesday at the Erada Square, to demand the resignation of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, appointment of a new premier, dissolution of the government and the Parliament, prosecution of MPs involved in the million dinar deposit scandal and fresh legislative elections.
During the rally under the slogan, “Legitimacy in the Constitution”, the opposition lawmakers criticized the Parliament for pulling the grilling request, while other demonstrators claimed the incumbent legislature is corrupt; hence, the need for its dissolution, along with the government.
Addressing HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, MP Musallam Al-Barrak asked, “Is it not time to take a historic decision to dissolve the Cabinet and the Parliament?” He argued there is no legitimacy for the ruling family, except through the Constitution. “If you trample upon our rights, you are doing the same with your rights. Today, we express our anger through rallies and sit-ins and we will continue doing so until Sheikh Nasser steps down and the Parliament is dissolved. Any ruling family member, who does not defend the Constitution, has no place in the ruling chamber. We will also put up tents at the Erada Square and stay there until the premier resigns,” he added.
Al-Barrak also threatened to take the necessary steps to hold accountable the officers, who beat the demonstrators.

Warned
MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei warned on the dire consequences of the cancellation of the grilling request against the premier in Tuesday’s parliamentary session. He said this is tantamount to stripping the Constitution of its contents and it spells doom to a constitutional country like Kuwait. He attributed these problems to the weak government of Sheikh Nasser and the bribe-taking MPs. He wants to tell the regime that the Constitution is not a grocery shop where it can take only the items it wants and disregard the others.
MP Mubarak Al-Waalan stressed the constitutions of countries, which have experienced the Arab Spring are mere ink on paper. “Our Constitution is established in our hearts. I appeal to HH the Amir to dismiss the prime minister, because he no longer serves the interests of the people,” he added. He also praised former Deputy Premier and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad as he preferred to resign rather than remaining in the corrupt government.
MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari said the Parliament has become a fake legislative authority, so the Amir should dissolve it. He asked the Amir, “Who are you going to sacrifice for, the people of Kuwait or Sheikh Nasser?” He lamented what happened in the Nov 15 session was a grave violation of the Constitution.

Betrayed
Former MP Fahad Al-Khanah said the MPs, who voted for the cancellation of the grilling request, have betrayed the people. He also accused the ministers of breaking their oath, affirming, “We will retrieve our rights from the government of Sheikh Nasser through legal means. The rallies will continue because they have been forced to take to the streets due to the inaction of the concerned authorities.”
Chairman of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS) Ahmad Nuwaibet conveyed a strong message to the government, stating, “We have had enough of this mess. The people of Kuwait will continue putting pressure on the government, which is on the verge of collapse.

A representative ‘Norid’ (Change) Movement, Ajil Al-Ajmi, said the government is confused and it is incapable of realizing its goal. “We need to protect the country and its people from this kind of government,” he concluded.

Members of the Justice Group and Freedom Youth called for the dissolution of the legislative and executive authorities; referral of those proven to be involved in the multimillion deposit scandal and questionable money transfers to the Public Prosecution; new parliamentary elections for the people to freely express their opinion on whoever they deem capable of representing them; and appointment of a new government with a new prime minister, who has a novel approach to governance.

The two groups pointed out anyone who closely monitors the current situation in Kuwait, particularly the political crises, will realize that the government and the National Assembly are no longer capable of managing national affairs. They said most of the parliamentarians have been trying to defend the prime minister, oblivious to his flaws and failures. They added the premier does not feel sorry for what the country has been turned into, in spite of having a Constitution and democracy.

“Everyone agrees that this is the worst government in the history of Kuwait. During its term, we have witnessed a number of violent acts, while corruption prevails in several government institutions and people were shocked when the multimillion deposit scandal emerged. When the members of both authorities decided to cancel the grilling request in a closed-door session Tuesday is an outright violation of the Constitution and a move against the people’s will as they tried to hide facts from the public,” the two groups added.