KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: More than 20 people were wounded when Kuwaiti riot police clashed with tribesmen who stormed a local television station in the second day of violence ahead of general polls, witnesses said on Wednesday.

The incident took place late on Tuesday at the offices of private Al-Watan satellite channel which was hosting pro-government candidate Nabeel Al-Fadl.

Police used tear-gas to disperse the crowd that started hurling rocks, wounding around “20 securitymen and four reporters,” a witness told AFP.

Some of the angry crowd managed to enter the offices and damaged some furniture and equipment, but all staff members escaped unhurt. They later attacked a nearby fire department centre, the witness added.

Around 15 tribesmen were arrested during the clashes.

The incident came a day after angry tribesmen burned down the election tent of controversial pro-government candidate Mohammed Al-Juwaihel over remarks deemed offensive to the Mutairi tribe, the second largest Bedouin clan in Kuwait.

Tribesmen consider Fadl, a strong critic of the opposition, as a close ally of Juwaihel, who disappeared after the burning of his tent late on Monday night.

Election rallies in Kuwait are held in large tents.

Opposition tribal candidates had held a massive rally to condemn Juwaihel’s “derogatory” remarks and to ask the government to take legal action against him.

“We tell the (ruling) family that we are partners in governance and public funds and we are free people,” leading opposition candidate Mussallam Al-Barrak told a crowd of over 20,000 who listened to him under heavy rain.

“Tunisian martyr Mohamed Bouazizi did not burn himself because of hunger but out of frustration,” said the outspoken former lawmaker, in reference to the Tunisian man whose death triggered the Arab Spring.

Several other speakers demanded that Juwaihel should be disqualified from contesting Thursday’s election over his remarks of “hatred.”

Kuwait’s royal court, many election candidates and a large number of political groups on Tuesday strongly criticised the Juwaihel incident as well as the tribesmen’s response.

The royal court warned in a statement that the incident risked “fuelling divisions in society,” and called on the Kuwaiti people to steer clear of anything that may negatively affect the elections to be held on Thursday.

The court said “orders were issued to take all necessary legal measures to hold to account” all those who took part in the incident, and insisted that “anything that harms Kuwaiti tribes undermines Kuwait as a whole.”

Veteran opposition figure Ahmad Al-Saadun charged that anti-democracy elements were trying to destroy the elections in which the opposition is tipped to win.

“This time we are before an abnormal struggle ... Parties that will not come back (to Parliament) will not remain silent ... They want to sabotage the election,” Saadun told an election rally on Tuesday night.
The liberal National Democratic Alliance described Juwaihel and his associates as “puppets and destructive tools being moved by certain quarters in the regime.”

“We are witnessing serious score settling processes among sides in the (ruling) family and their tools are election candidates, the media and personalities,” the Alliance said in a statement.
Oil-rich Kuwait has been hit by a series of political crises over the past six years leading to the resignation of seven governments and the dissolving of Parliament on four occasions.

Fast-track
The fast-track court rejected Wednesday a request to disqualify Third Constituency liberal candidate Mohammed Al-Juwaihel from contesting in the elections race. Security Forces have set up posts all over the country and at the electoral premises of anti-opposition candidates and polling stations ahead of elections scheduled for Thursday. Security forces are also surrounding Scope TV and Al-Watan TV satellite stations.

Lawyer Mohammed Manawer Al-Mutairi had filed an urgent case Tuesday at the Administrative Court requesting the disqualification of Mohammed Al-Juwaihel on the charges of harming national unity. A large number of candidates including liberals had also demanded Al-Juwaihel’s removal from the election and demanded his arrest. However a formal warrants to arrest Al-Juwaihel have not been issued, according to sources.

Meanwhile, tension between liberals and Islamist tribal conservatives rose even more dramatically a day before elections with Al-Mutair tribe protesters attempting to break-into Al-Watan TV station Wednesday dawn in protest that it is interviewing Third Constituency liberal candidate and opposition critic Nabil Al-Fadl, who is an ally of Al-Juwaihel.

Around 20 security and media personnel were injured during clashes between riot police and the tribesmen. The police used tear-gas to disperse the protestors, who tried to reach Al-Fadl. Reportedly opposition MP Faisal Al-Muslim, who is an Al-Mutair tribsman was present at the scene, with some saying he was attempting to calm the protestors down.

More than 15 tribesmen were arrested by the Ministry of Interior (MoI). The MoI further issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that a group of people have attempted to break-into the station’s building and destroy its contents. It said security officials made several attempts to negotiate with the protestors and discourage them from storming the station.

“However, the efforts were unsuccessful, prompting security officials to confront them to remove them from the area, after which they attacked the officers with sticks, glass bottles and rocks. A large number of security personnel were injured and several civilian vehicles and security and public equipment were damaged,” the statement explained.

In light of the chaotic practices and stubbornness of the group, a number of the instigators were arrested and referred for investigation, the MoI said.

Al-Watan TV was interviewing Al-Fadl when the protest started around dawn Wednesday prompting the station to go off air. Although other reports claim he was instigating the crowd. Al-Fadl’s car was damaged during the incident.

Furthermore, news circulated on social networking sites claiming that Second Constituency candidate and former MP Dr Salwa Al-Jassar’s life was threatened by unknown sources. However, her electoral Twitter account did not confirm or deny the reports. More reports have circulated saying that Third Constituency candidate Riyad Al-Sanae, who is Al-Juwaihel’s lawyer, has received threats on his life.
Meanwhile, the courts have decided to shut down Al-Dar newspaper for two weeks after the Ministry of Information filed a case against it, charging that it published articles offensive to the Shiite community.

Warned

The Interior Ministry warned against public gatherings and demonstrations during the national parliamentary elections, adding that those who choose to abuse security and public order in the country would be prosecuted.

This came after a group of people were prevented by security forces from breaking into and ransacking the head office of local television station, Al-Watan TV, the ministry said in a statement.

After being prevented from entering the building, the ransackers started to attack the policemen with sticks, bottles and stones, leading to the injury of several security personnel and damage to surrounding property.
Some of the assailants were arrested due to the incident, the statement added.