Last chance to make a stand for human rights in Bahrain. Love of sport or love of people.
SIGN THE PETITION No F1 in brutal Bahrain This is avaaz.org and has 275,000 UPDATE 320,000(It is empowering to see the signatures from around the world in real time as they happen) especially when they come from Bahrain realizing what they are risking.
Another is Human Rights First with unknown number Stop idling--don’t give Bahrain the Grand Prix
Activists said: “Do the Formula One authorities and the brands that support them really want to be associated with a Bahraini government that seizes people in the middle of the night and tortures them? With disappearances and deaths in custody?”
It further read, “Awarding the Grand Prix to the repressive regime will disappoint Formula One fans everywhere. We call on you to declare publicly that you won't race in Bahrain this year, because the government has killed and injured hundreds of innocent people standing up for their rights.”
I am happy to report that the comments on this blog are predominantly "Cancel It".
It is reassuring to see people who love their sport so much also favor human rights.
FIA’s Bahrain decision looming, Hill warns
Bahrain government loses either way. The pro democracy groups have successfully used the race to expose the human rights atrocity’s that are going on there.
A few years ago SpeedTV had this great camera shot of people on black Arabian horses watching the race. We thought it looked it looked beautiful. It was one of the races my wife and I were really going to try to go to.
Needless to say it is now the last Grand Prix we would ever think of going to.
Bahraini activists speak against Grand Prix reschedule before decision on Friday – Formula 1
Bahraini activists speak against Grand Prix reschedule before decision on Friday – Formula 1
Bahraini activists have once again spoken against the race being scheduled in the struggling kingdom in the 2011 Formula 1 season.
The decision on Bahrain’s future is due on Friday, June 3, 2011 and just before the decision, the activists and human rights protestors have shown the true picture of the Bahraini government.
The statement from the officials read, “Do the Formula One authorities and the brands that support them really want to be associated with a Bahraini government that seizes people in the middle of the night and tortures them? With disappearances and deaths in custody?”
It further read, “Awarding the Grand Prix to the repressive regime will disappoint Formula One fans everywhere. We call on you to declare publicly that you won't race in Bahrain this year, because the government has killed and injured hundreds of innocent people standing up for their rights.”
These statements from the activists have come out just in time as the decision is due on Friday when the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council takes place in Barcelona.
Before this statement, for the first time Bahraini race officials stated that they were in a position to host a race in the Kingdom as the conditions were back to normal.
Initially, Bahrain was to be the season opener for the 2011 season in March but was called off due to political unrest in the country. Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was committed to the nation and stated that the race will be scheduled in Bahrain as soon as the conditions are back to normal.
However, all the Formula 1 teams have already voiced against the Bahrain race being reinstated in the 2011 season.
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