You may not know who Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is. If you lived in Bahrain however you probably would. Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (we will call him Salman for short) is considered responsible for quashing the uprising of pro-democracy protestors in Bahrain earlier this year. He directly ordered the destruction of the poetically named focal point, Pearl Roundabout and is regularly criticised by Human Rights group Amnesty International. Possibly the most shocking thing on his recent resume is the charge that he may have directly ordered the army to destroy a hospital full of civilians.
Yes, by all accounts a lovely bloke.
Unfortunately for most of us civilised folk, Salman is a prince, not only any prince but the heir apparent of Bahrain. This, unfortunately, makes him eligible for an invitation to the wedding of William and Kate.
Now despite this being protocol there is nothing to gain by inviting a murderous prince to our country to celebrate the Royal Wedding. He is a man who has wide-spread international condemnation and the Foreign Secretary William Hague has personally singled him out for criticism.
However not only has Prince Salman been invited to the wedding, he has accepted the invitation and will be on our shores next week. Yes, a man responsible for crushing pro-democracy rebellions, upholding a dictatorship and murdering innocent people is the type of person we have decided to invite to our country to celebrate with us.
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