“We are not going to stop and we are not scared at any time,’ said Raed Aman, 31, one of the demonstrators who escaped uninjured and was at the hospital checking on his friends. “If anybody in my family dies, I will have more power. Even if I lose my life, I will be there every time.”

This small Persian Gulf nation, a strategic ally of the United States, has long strained against the pressure of the political tensions between a Shiite majority and a king and ruling class of the Sunni minority. That tension has been supercharged in recent weeks as demands for democracy, rule of law and social justice have rocked the Middle East with popular movements that have forced the resignation of the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt.

By Friday night, the royal family appeared to be trying to find a more peaceful solution, with the king authorizing the crown prince, his son, to begin a dialogue with the opposition, but it was unclear if the protesters would accept talks. In an appearance on Bahraini TV, the prince, Sheik Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, pleaded for calm and offered “condolences to the people of Bahrain for the painful days they are living.”

After the violence erupted, President Obama condemned the use of violence by governments throughout the region, including Bahrain, where the United States’ Fifth Fleet is based. The White House said the president had spoken with the king on Friday evening, urging the government to show restraint, especially against peaceful protesters, and pressing for meaningful reform.