Formula One Chooses Profit Over Human Rights

As is typical of q western corporation Formula One chose to hold its postponed Bahrain Grand Prix in October after the first in the series race scheduled for February was postponed due to political unrest in the island nation nation. Remember that this is the country that chose to restrict access to medical treatment by those injured in security crack downs seeking change in the way the country governed. The arrest and detention of medical staff for treating the injured a long with anyone else with the courage to speak out against minority rule of the majority.

The Bahrain Grand Prix has been rescheduled for 30 October — news that will cause widespread dismay among all 12 Formula One teams and civil rights activists. Over 320,000 people had signed an online petition calling for the race to be scrapped before the start of today's FIA meeting. The principals of the sport's teams, who met the commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, in Monaco last weekend, also wanted the race to be abandoned.

Zayed R Alzayani, chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, who confirmed the race would go ahead, said: "This is welcome news for all of Bahrain. As a country we have faced a difficult time, but stability has returned, with businesses operating close to normal, the state of national safety lifted and countries removing travel restrictions."