Protesters shouted “down with Hamad” – a crime punishable by prison – as they marched in the village of Diraz, the state news agency reported.
The protestors clashed with security forces after hearing about the decision and held demo in the towns of Bilad al-Qadim, Buri and Sitra.
The move against Ayatollah Isa Qassim comes less than a week after a court ordered Bahrain’s main opposition al-Wefaq group closed, accusing it of fomenting sectarian unrest and of having links to a foreign power, in an apparent reference to regional Shi’ite power Iran.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Gen Qassem Suleimani told Manama that it had crossed a “red line” by putting pressure on Qassim and that the move would trigger armed resistance, the Fars news agency reported.
Bahrain’s BNA state news agency, citing an interior ministry statement, said the cleric had been trying to divide Bahraini society, encourage young people to violate the constitution and promote a sectarian environment.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, has also slammed the move, referring to it as “silly” and “dangerous.”
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