Kuwait police used batons to disperse protesters chanting slogans against the prime minister on Wednesday, injuring an opposition MP, as a group of Kuwaitis wanted for storming the parliament last week turned themselves in, witnesses said.
A prosecutor had ordered the arrest of 45 people after protesters, including opposition lawmakers, forced their way into parliament last week as hundreds rallied outside, demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah step down over corruption accusations, which he denies.
The storming of parliament was a rare reflection of the political ferment that has toppled rulers in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, but has so far had little impact in Kuwait, whose citizens enjoy a generous welfare system and a vibrant parliament, though with limited powers, rare among Gulf Arab states.
On Wednesday, baton-wielding police dispersed friends and relatives of the wanted protesters, who had gathered outside a security police building in the Gulf state, singing the national anthem and chanting "The people want the fall of the prime minister" and "Leave, leave", the witnesses said. Officers pushed people away from the building, witnesses said, adding that opposition MP Jamaan al-Harbish was hurt in the melee. Another witness said the supporters had tried to force their way into the building, ignoring police calls to leave.
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