Hundreds of demonstrators face police during a demonstration in Algiers. -- PHOTO: AFP
ALGIERS - ALGERIAN police and pro-government activists on Saturday foiled a sixth attempt by opposition protesters to march in the capital Algiers.
A faction of the National Coordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD) had called the protest in defiance of an official ban on demonstrating in Algiers.
But several dozen demonstrators found themselves quickly surrounded by police.
Counter-demonstrators carrying photos of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika chanted 'Bouteflika Is Not (Hosni) Mubarak' - the Egyptian president forced out by a popular uprising on February 18 - as they chased and roughed up the anti-government protestors.
The counter-demonstrators, mostly young people, then turned on Said Sadi, a member of the CNCD and the head of the small opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy, saying they would 'lynch' him, according to an eyewitness, adding that Sadi fled the scene after shouting: 'We will continue to march regardless of the steps the regime takes to prevent us.' Saturday's foiled protest was the sixth attempt since Jan 22.
It was planned to begin in three different locations to make it harder for police to shut it down. Previous bids at holding a substantial demonstration have also been foiled. -- AFP
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