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KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaitis demonstrating outside parliament for the prime minister's ouster came up with a new symbol of Arab discontent Tuesday by handing out watermelons.
"This is for the parliament's poor performance," one of the small band of protesters shouted as he gave a watermelon to a lawmaker making his way into the parliament.
The significance was not spelled out, but in local parlance, a person who has a lack of understanding or holds an unrealistic point of view sometimes is called a watermelon.
In Libya, where protests against Muammar Gaddafi have descended into widespread violence, protesters threw shoes, which are considered unclean in the Arab world, at television screens showing the Libyan leader's speech.
In Kuwait, six members of the Kuwaiti youth group Kafi (Enough), gave watermelons to a few lawmakers as a signal of their political dissatisfaction in a country that has the most outspoken parliament in the Gulf Arab region.
The demonstration marked a tempered start to a planned day of unauthorized protests by youth groups demanding the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family, and greater political freedom.
A potentially larger rally was expected later, inspired by spreading Arab protests that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt before sparking the insurrection in Libya and spreading to other Gulf countries including Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, does not allow political parties, and its parliament is made up of individuals who form loose blocs.
Demonstrations are banned in Kuwait without prior approval and youth groups Kafi and al-Soor al-Khames (Fifth Fence), the main organizers, will present a challenge to the government since they had not sought permission for the protests.
Some of the protest organizers not only want Sheikh Nasser to step down, but seek a replacement from outside the al-Sabah family, which has ruled Kuwait for some 250 years.
The prime minister, a nephew of the ruler, has survived two non-cooperation motions in parliament since he was appointed in 2006. All other critical portfolios, such as defense, interior and foreign affairs, are held by al-Sabahs. The emir has the final say in all political matters.
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Kuwaiti Shia group Thawabit al-Shia issued a statement on Tuesday, saying the response of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah's government to the opponents will determine the group's future planning to claim demands of the Shia community in Kuwait.
Kuwaiti youth groups have planned to hit the streets on Tuesday to demand the removal of the incumbent prime minister and push for political reforms in the Persian Gulf state.
The protests are deemed as a challenge to the Kuwaiti government, which bans demonstrations without prior permission.
An increase in Shia mosques and equality between Shia and Sunnis in terms of official posts and government portfolios are among the demands voiced by Kuwaiti Shias.
Kuwait's al-Dar newspaper also announced imminent meetings among the country's Shia figures and efforts for the creation of a Facebook webpage. Shia sources have ruled out the possibility of sit-in protests in front of the Kuwait Parliament, known as Sahat al-Irada.
Demonstrations in Kuwait come amid a recent wave of anti-government protests across North Africa and the Middle East, which managed to topple decades-long rule of dictator in Tunisia and Egypt.
