Dozens of protesters confronted Bahrain's Crown Prince and shouted anti-government slogans.

Sheikh Salam bin Hamad al Khalifa, the Crown Prince of the island state, was attending the funeral of a Shiite executive who worked on one of his labor reform projects, it was reported.

The funerals were taking place in Sanabis, where protests asking for political and social reforms have recurrently been organised, often ending in clashes between the security forces and protesters.

As he left the funeral the Sheikh Salam bin Hamad al Khalifa was surrounded by angry protesters who shouted anti-government slogans, including "the people demand the fall of the regime", an unverified footage posted on YouTube shows.

They also held banners denouncing human rights abuses, including some with images of dead activists.

The prince was not injured and was swiftly taken inside his waiting car but the move carries a powerful symbolism because he is seen as one of the main backer of Bahrain's Formula One Grand prix, set to take place on April 22.

The Grand prix was cancelled last year following unrest in the Kingdom. Protesters and activists want the event to be cancelled this year.

Bahrain pro-democracy protests in February and March 2011 were severely repressed by the government's security forces.

Since then the government insists it has started to implement a set of reforms but opposition members, activists and protesters say human rights violations continue.

Human rights