 In the following days protests intensified, moving to the Royal Court in Riffa, a royal palace in Safiriyya and finally blocking roads leading to the financial district in Manama. Security forces clashed with protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets, but police were overwhelmed by protesters. The government then requested help from neighbor countries, which sent about 1,500 security forces to assist the government. A state of emergency was declared and the government launched a crackdown campaign to put down protests by force. The Pearl Roundabout, now cleared of protesters, was torn down by government and protesters found themselves pushed back into their villages. The government arrested over 1,000 protesters including leading opposition and rights activists (known as the Bahrain Thirteen) as well as sportsmen, academics, businessmen, doctors, engineers, journalists and teachers.
