Clashes on Bahrain protest anniversary Protests and confrontations with police have kicked off in the Bahraini capital as the country's opposition movement marks the one-year anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising. Just before 7am on Tuesday, Bahraini youths wearing white shrouds indicating their willingness to die ran en masse towards the site of the Pearl roundabout, the centre of the demonstrations that broke out a year ago. Witnesses said dozens of young men and women ran through the streets of Sanabis, a village close to the now-destroyed roundabout, before being repelled by policemen using rubber pellets and sound bombs. Hassan, one of those on the march, said police cornered the youths as they approached the barbed wire cordon around the site, where armed Humvees stand guard. "We will wait and gather again, this will continue all day," he said. Accompanied by several young women with first aid kits, they continued to gather on the streets through the morning, prompting police to fire tear gas rounds as youths staged further attempts to march towards the roundabout, whose monument has now been destroyed. Teachers at the local primary school said five out of 500 students had shown up for classes on Tuesday, with reports of similar absences from colleagues in other schools across Shia villages. Some places of work have warned staff not to be absent on the anniversary of the uprising. Police staged a strong presence across the village, chasing youths through the alleyways. "Problem is we don't have the chance to gather as they are roaming around and chasing everyone they see on the road," said Hassan. Confrontations have been building in the days leading up to the anniversary. On Monday, hundreds of youths marching along a main highway in Bahrain clashed with police in a dramatic escalation of violence. As thousands marched along a suburban road towards an opposition rally on Monday, demonstrators peeled off on to the country's main highway and headed for the site of the Pearl roundabout, the epicentre of last year's demonstrations, where they were met by riot police using teargas and rubber bullets. Witnesses said police pushed the protesters - some of whom later hurled stones and threw Molotov cocktails - back, leaving a thick cloud of teargas hanging over the main suburban thoroughfare. The clashes marked another escalation in the confrontations between the minority Sunni-led government and youths from the majority Shia community. The protest movement is calling for more democracy and an end to discrimination, while the government says it is implementing reforms after it appointed an independent commission to investigate abuses carried out in last year's crackdown on dissent. The government has warned people to avoid protests on February 14, saying it will not countenance gatherings that could turn into violent confrontations with the security forces. Fears are growing that widespread protests on Tuesday's anniversary may end in death, as happened a year ago, and spark a descent into the chaos similar to last year's demonstrations inspired by the Arab revolutions. Demonstrators camped out on Pearl roundabout last February and March, calling for democracy and greater accountability. The security forces in March cleared the site and launched a crackdown on the protest movement, including widespread use of torture and the dismissal of thousands for taking part in demonstrations. The commission, headed by Cherif Bassiouni, a human rights lawyer, reported 46 deaths between February and November, with the opposition saying the number had now reached 60. Bahrain's population is around 1.2m, half of whom are expatriates. After months of demonisation, the government has recently moved to legitimise the opposition, allowing organised rallies to go ahead while clamping down on youths who confront the police in "illegal gatherings." John Yates, a former senior UK police officer who is advising on security force reform, said on Monday that the police would avoid the use of excessive force, but were prepared to handle any escalation. "What we are seeing is a policy of restraint at the moment, and that will be the plan for tomorrow," said Mr Yates. But youths are intent on challenging the status quo, saying they will stage further attempts to return to the roundabout on the anniversary. After closing off areas around the protests on Monday, security forces were on high alert around the site of the now-destroyed Pearl roundabout, with soldiers manning armoured vehicles behind barbed wire. Riot police were patrolling the centre of Shia villages on the outskirts of the capital, training spotlights on dark alleyways amid expectations that further clashes would break out this on Monday evening and during Tuesday's anniversary.