RIYADH - Hundreds of Saudi Shi'ites staged peaceful protests in the kingdom's oil-producing east Friday in support of Shi'ites in Bahrain and political freedoms at home, activists said. Demonstrators gathered in Awamiya, a village near the main Shiite centre of Qatif, shortly after afternoon prayers. They waved mostly Bahraini, but also Saudi, flags. Saudi Arabia sent 1,000 troops to Bahrain, to help contain pro-democracy protests. They shouted slogans including: "Oil and unemployment, where is the justice!" and "Bahrain free, Peninsula army out!" and carried placards which read: "The people want human rights!" activists told Reuters. Security forces kept their distance from the protesters, they said.
