Protesters have once again threatened to disrupt the Bahrain Grand Prix amid rising tensions between demonstrators and the government.
A car exploded in the financial district on Sunday after a group, which call themselves the ‘February 14th movement’, claim to have put gas cylinders in the car before setting it on fire.
On Tuesday, the police fired tear gas into a boys’ school following a clash with students as they protested against the imprisonment of a colleague.
The government, whilst recognising the incidents, is distancing itself from the violence and claiming that this weekends F1 race won’t be affected.
In a statement the ministry said: “A terrorist group used a gas cylinder to burn a car in Manama at night on Sunday causing an explosion, causing no damage.
“There has been no major escalation of violence on the ground recently as the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix is drawing nearer.”
Bernie Ecclestone sees no reason to cancel the race at present, claiming the protesters ‘aren’t looking to hurt anyone’.
“I don’t think the people who are arguing about their position are bad people, and I don’t think they’re trying to hurt people to make their point,” he said.
“It’s probably like our country, England, there are sectors there who sees things the other side are doing wrong and they would like things done their way. It happens worldwide.”