ALGERIA: Protesters clash with police in the capital Algiers

Record ID: 320804

  • Title: ALGERIA: Protesters clash with police in the capital Algiers
  • Date: 23rd January 2011
  • Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (JANUARY 22, 2011) (REUTERS) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) WIDE VIEW OF STREET FILLED WITH PROTESTERS PROTESTERS WEARING ALGERIAN FLAG, JUMPING AND CHANTING IN STREET PEOPLE WATCHING AND FILMING FROM BALCONY ABOVE / ZOOM OUT TO PROTESTERS IN STREET VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS JUMPING AND CHANTING NATIONAL SONGS NEAR RIOT POLICE CLOSER VIEW OF RIOT POLICE STANDING NEAR PROTESTERS PROTESTERS SPEAKING TOGETHER IN FRONT OF RIOT POLICE TOP VIEW OF PROTESTER SHOUTING THROUGH MEGAPHONE NEAR RIOT POLICE SURGE OF PROTESTERS CLASHING WITH POLICE POLICE ARRESTING PROTESTER / DRAGGING PROTESTER AWAY POLICE PUSHING CROWD INTO CENTRE OF STREET WIDE VIEW OF PROTESTERS, SOME HOLDING PLACARDS MORE ARRESTS WIDE VIEW OF SCENE ANOTHER PROTESTER WRAPPED IN ALGERIAN FLAG HOLDING MEGAPHONE IN FRONT OF RIOT POLICE CROWDS CLASHING WITH RIOT POLICE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAID SAADI, HEAD OF RCD PARTY - ALGERIA'S LARGEST OPPOSITION GROUP, SAYING "We asked to do a march, in a legal way, but they told us 'you are the opposition and you don't have any right in your country'. If we were a party which belongs to the government they would let us because they let the marches in the capital but we must kneel in front of them. But, we don't kneel. As an opposition we wanted to play our role, and our role is clear, and we have a message... that we want to apply today in a democratic way." MORE OF PROTESTERS CLASHING WITH POLICE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAID SAADI, HEAD OF RCD PARTY - ALGERIA'S LARGEST OPPOSITION GROUP, SAYING "We want them to release all the prisoners arrested during the previous demonstrations. We want them to respect the restoration of all individual and collective freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and the dissolution of all institutions elected by fraud to enter into a peaceful transition phase." MORE OF PROTESTERS AND POLICE CLASHING
  • Embargoed: 7th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Algeria, Algeria
  • Country: Algeria
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEBU09ZY1K4A7YSBSG9U2RLIZE
  • Story Text: A small group of Algerian opposition supporters trying to hold a banned protest clashed with police in the capital and several people were injured, protest organisers and official media said on Saturday (January 22).
    The protest in Algiers was scheduled to take place just over a week after a wave of demonstrations in neighbouring Tunisia forced that country's long-standing president to flee, sending shockwaves through the Arab world.
    The head of the RCD party, the biggest opposition group in Algeria's parliament, said party officials were surrounded by riot police when they tried to leave their headquarters building to go to the planned protest.
    Party chief Said Saadi told Reuters by telephone that 32 people were injured in the clash, including a member of parliament.
    "We asked to do a march, in a legal way, but they told us 'you are the opposition and you don't have any right in your country'. If we were a party which belongs to the government they would let us because they let the marches in the capital but we must kneel in front of them," he said.
    "We want them to release all the prisoners arrested during the previous demonstrations. We want them to respect the restoration of all individual and collective freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and the dissolution of all institutions elected by fraud," Saadi added.
    After the clash with police, a small group of RCD supporters remained outside the party headquarters chanting "The authorities are assassins!" and "A free and democratic Algeria!"
    Algeria's official APS news agency quoted a police source as saying arrests had been made and that seven police officers had been injured, two of them seriously. Authorities in Algeria, a major exporter of energy, had earlier refused permission for the protest, saying it would disturb public order.
    A former French colony which supplies about 20 percent of Europe's gas supplies, Algeria is still emerging from a conflict between security forces and Islamist militants which killed an estimated 200,000 people.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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