Human Rights and the Will to be free

Well, contrary to what Ecclestone wants us to believe, it does have something to do with money, and not just a little bit of money, but a lot of money. Not only Bahrain and the Formula One Management (FOM) will lose money, also the teams will lose money if the race is cancelled again. So, what is at stake? Formula Money, who is an expert in Formula One finances, has published some interesting figures concerning the Bahrain Grand Prix. ....

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About 60 per cent of nearly 10,000 international fans polled said it was “not right” for the grand prix to go ahead this year. Only 24 per cent said it was right. The full results of the survey will be published in the April issue of the magazine, which goes on sale on Thursday.
The results will come as no great surprise to organisers of the race who have been battling the negative perception of their country ever since a brutal crackdown on civil unrest last spring left at least 35 dead and many more injured. ...

Bahrain F1.....the mother of all blood-baths......

[Ecclestone is in for a rude awakening......The real joke is on the Khalifa's, however!  They think this is going to improve their image!  The World will get a front-seat to view their atrocities against their own people.......Worldwide coverage!  ]

Government eager to host Grand Prix after embarrassing cancellation last year due to its atrocious crackdown on Human Rights.

 [Ecclestone will have the 'Mother of all disruptions' in lieu of his race!]

You don't get 100,000 people risking their lives in protest for nothing.

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"But there is an even more troubling thought, which is this: is F1 playing brinkmanship for purely financial reasons while people are putting their lives in peril to protest against this event?"

Former world champion Damon Hill on Thursday demanded a rethink over the contentious Bahrain Grand Prix which is due to take place in two weeks despite ongoing anti-government protests in the troubled Gulf state.
Hill was part of a fact-finding mission to Bahrain, which also included FIA chief Jean Todt, earlier this year and expressed his support for a return of the race which had been cancelled in 2011.
But a violent crackdown on demonstrations has continued, prompting Shiite activists to demand the race be scrapped.
"What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead?" Hill told The Guardian. ....

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The 1996 Formula One world champion Damon Hill has urged the sport to consider "the pain, anger and tension in Bahrain" before deciding to go ahead with the Grand Prix there in just over two weeks.

Hill, who is due to attend the race on 22 April as a member of the Sky Sports commentary team, and who appeared to support the event earlier in the year, has voiced fresh concerns. He said: "What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead.

"It would be a bad state of affairs, and bad for Formula One, to be seen to be enforcing martial law in order to hold the race. That is not what this sport should be about. Looking at it today you'd have to say that [the race] could be creating more problems than it's solving."

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"We (object to) holding a sports race that belittles the sacrifices of our children and ignores our suffering and wounds," said a statement read by a youth dressed in a white death shroud and a black hood, according to a video posted online.
"Do not tarnish the reputation of the respected auto sport with the blood of Bahrain victims."
On Twitter, a whole campaign has been launched against the return of the Grand Prix to Bahrain.
"Stop, my blood is flowing" and "race over blood," were two slogans posted by activists on Twitter, where hashtags like BloodyF1 and NoF1 generate scores of tweets. ...

There is now no question in my mind that the Bahrain Grand Prix must be cancelled. Why wait until next week? Bernie should do it now.

There are times when sport needs to take a back seat and this is definitely one of those times – no matter how much money is involved or how many interested parties there are (and remember, it's not just F1's pockets which are being lined by the grand prix, a cancellation would hit the local economy too, small businesses etc).
The latest reports, in particular this one by Nicholas D Kristoff of the NY Times, paint a terrifying picture of a country that has lost control and lost the plot.