Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Although Al-Bandar report was repeatedly mentioned in press reports, some people haven't been acquainted with the report and its details. However, what happened last week draws a clear picture of how fake public opinion is created and how inflammatory campaigns are launched by the Royal court, same as Al-Bandar report.

Although the campaign was allegedly launched against Sayed Abdullah Al-Ghuraifi and the parliamentary delegation that visited him, the Prime Minister's court got the message and launched an attack against Royal Court Minister Khalid bin Ahmed,  his brother Marshal Khalifa bin Ahmed and the King's son Nasser bin Hamad.

But How Did the Royal Court Start its Campaign?

It all started with a statement issued by a number of MPs, whose names weren't mentioned, condemning their colleagues' visit to Sayed Al-Ghuraifi. Despite the fact that the statement was issued without the MPs' names, Bahrain News Agency published them on its official website.

This statement was followed by another issued by Bahrain Journalists Association; a mere nominal association chaired by Ahdiya Ahmed, one of Ahmed Atiyatallah's (the one behind Al-Bandar report) right hands. He appointed her in 2005 as a spokesperson of the ministry he heads (Ministry of Cabinet Affairs) and she later became in 2006 the official spokesperson of the Supreme Elections Committee.

Only a few were aware, linking the visit of a number of MPs to a Shiite cleric with the statement issued by the Bahrain Journalists Association, even though this issue has nothing to do with the association's specialty, which is supposed to be concerned in the affairs of journalists and media people only. The Association's statement left the door wide open for further statements and the media exaggeration that reached unprecedented levels.

On the following day, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior accused Sayed Abdullah Al-Ghuraifi of supporting terrorism. This was followed by statements issued by the Salafist Al-Asalah society, Al-Menbar Islamic Society, the National Unity Assembly as well as the National Guard, let alone the articles written by reporters who need no recommendations to write whatever the Royal Court desires.

The Royal Court has led dozens of media campaigns since the 2011 unrest. Every time a flow of supporters backed its campaigns, however, this time, the campaign was met with lack of support and concern. King loyalists didn't find a convincing reason to attack Sayed Al-Ghuraifi, while many of this audience (even if they didn't publicly say so) hope to reach a political solution that would put an end to these tensions that have been ongoing for 8 years. This lack of interest was also caused by the severe dispute between the two courts.

The opposition, for its part, doesn't see that it has to seriously deal with these deliberate campaigns. It deems them an open war between the Royal Court and the PM's Court and prefers to sit and watch who will end up winning this war.

Arabic Version