AP

MANAMA ANTI-GOVERNMENT protesters flooded a main highway in a march stretching for miles and security forces fired tear gas in breakaway clashes on Friday as Bahrain’s leaders struggled to contain opposition anger while under the world’s spotlight as the island nation hosts the Formula One Grand Prix.

The government allowed the massive demonstration in an apparent bid to avoid the hitand- run street battles that are the hallmark of the Gulf nation’s 14-month uprising, and an embarrassing spectacle for Bahrain’s Western-backed rulers as F1 teams prepare for Sunday’s race. But violence flared as small groups in the march peeled away from the route to challenge riot police, who answered with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades