Saudi Arabia says won’t tolerate protests

RIYADH, (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia warned potential  protesters on Saturday that a ban on marches would be enforced,  signalling the small protests by the Shi’ite minority in the  oil-producing east would no longer be tolerated.
“The kingdom’s regulations totally ban all sorts of  demonstrations, marches, sit-ins,” the interior ministry said in  a statement, adding security forces would stop all attempts to  disrupt public order.
Inspired by protests in other Arab countries there have been  Shi’ite marches in the past few days in the east and unconfirmed  activist reports of a small protest at a mosque in the Saudi  capital Riyadh on Friday.
The U.S. ally has not faced protests of the scale that hit  Egypt and Tunisia that toppled veteran leaders, but dissent has  built up as unrest has spread in Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Libya  and Oman.
More than 17,000 have backed a call on Facebook to hold two  demonstrations this month, the first one on Friday.
A loose alliance of liberals, moderate Islamists and  Shi’ites have petitioned King Abdullah to allow elections in the  kingdom which has no elected parliament, although even activists  say they don’t know how many of the almost 19 million Saudis  back them.
Last month, Abdullah returned to Riyadh after a three-month  medical absence and unveiled $37 billion in benefits for  citizens in an apparent bid to curb dissent.
For about two weeks, Saudi Shi’ites have staged small  protests in the kingdom’s east, which holds much of the oil  wealth of the world’s top crude exporter and is near Bahrain,  scene of protests by majority Shi’ites against their Sunni  rulers.
Shi’ite protests in Saudi Arabia started in the area of the  main city Qatif and its neighbour Awwamiya and spread to the  town of Hofuf on Friday. The demands were mainly for the release  of prisoners they say are held without trial.
Saudi Shi’ites often complain they struggle to get senior  government jobs and other benefits like other citizens.
The government of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy without  an elected parliament that usually does not tolerate public  dissent, denies these charges.