The return of Formula 1 to Bahrain in late October will be marked with further civil unrest and protests, according to a leading human rights activist.
The FIA’s decision to reinstate the race came as a surprise to many, including the teams who made it clear they didn’t want to return on ethical and logistical grounds.
The people of Bahrain also showed strong resistance against its return. A further warning has been issued that the when the F1 circus roles into the city, it will be marked by a ‘day of rage’.
“We have buried two bodies today who were victims of the government oppression,” said Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.
“It is a very sad moment to hear that Grand Prix feels that their benefits and their interests are more important than the human rights of people in this region.
“It’s very upsetting and the people are very upset and already they have called a day of that racing as a Day of Rage where you come out everywhere and in every city of Bahrain to show anger towards the Bahrain government, what the Bahrain regime is doing towards their own people.”
Many have called for the decision to be overturned with the latest figure to weigh in on the debate, the UK’s Minister of Sport, Hugh Robertson, warning that the sport will have a ‘disaster’ on its hands if it goes ahead.
“You cannot have a situation where politics overtakes sport,” he told the Telegraph. “If that happens, you have a disaster on your hands.
“You can understand why opposition groups might want the race to go ahead if they are planning protests around it and this is a danger.”
The teams are meeting later this month discuss the matter and will likely be pushing the FIA to reverse their so called unanimous decision, in which all members of the WMSC voted for the race to be reinstated – though many believe that not to be true as both team principals for Ferrari and Force India, Stefano Domenicali and Vijay Mallya respectively, are voting members and are said to be against the race.
