Algerian police crack down on protesters at Egypt-inspired rally
By Ria Novosti
Police have arrested several hundred protesters at a mass rally in Algeria, inspired by the recent anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, local media said on Saturday.
Thousands of people gathered in the capital, Algiers, to demand President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has led the country since 1999, step down.
The protesters called for ending corruption, lifting the 19-year-old state of emergency and releasing protesters from jails.
Some 28,000 police were deployed to prevent violence. Several people were injured during the clashes.
Police closed all entrances to Algiers and held hundreds of protesters, Al Jazeera reported.
The Algerian authorities had banned the march but protesters ignored the ban.
The protest in Algeria comes just a day after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled the country for almost 30 years, stepped down.
