More protests break out in several areas in Bahrain

There was no police in the area, but a helicopter hovered above keeping a watchful eye on the procession that stretched a half a mile down a road.

The crowd chanted praises to the people killed in the protests calling them martyrs and also leveled a strong message calling for death to Bahrain's ruling family.

Demonstrators also gathered in an area of the village of Karzakan for a funeral for another victim, about 7 miles west of the capital city Manama, witnesses said.

In total, six people have died since protesters took to the streets Monday demanding reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy in Bahrain.

The tiny but strategically critical island nation of Bahrain is an American ally and houses the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

On Thursday, police stormed protesters gathered in Manama's Pearl Roundabout, a landmark circle in the city center.

Witnesses described a blunt show of force by police who fired pellets, rubber bullets and tear gas to force out protesters who had been rallying and, in some cases, camping out throughout the week. 

Zainab Farda said she was in a large tent for women and children with her two daughters, ages 6 and 8, when they woke up to tear gas. She said they placed onions over their noses, but had to flee after security forces set fire to their tent.

"After all that has happened, we are not going to quit," Farda said. "If we quit now, we're going to die."

While Bahrain defended its actions, the raid brought criticism from human rights groups and calls for restraint from officials in United Nations, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The U.K. Foreign Office said it was reviewing Britain's arms sales to Bahrain after the violence.

"This government takes extremely seriously its arms export responsibilities," said Alistair Burt, Britain's minister for the Middle East and North Africa. "We closely consider allegations of human rights abuses. We will not authorize any exports which, we assess, might provoke or prolong regional or internal conflicts, which might be used to facilitate internal repression."

Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Bahraini special envoy to the U.S., defended his country's actions in an interview with CNN Thursday night.

"I have explained that the force used was really proportional, we had to use it, because it was necessary, and the process started to really destruct our national economy and scaring the people," he said.

Bahrain is one of the latest countries in the Middle East and North Africa to face a surge of dissent following the revolts that toppled longtime autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt.