- Title: ALGERIA: Scuffles between pro and anti-Bouteflika camps
- Date: 20th February 2011
- Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (FEBRUARY 19, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS ANTI-AND BOUTEFLIKA SUPPORTERS NEAR MAY 1 SQUARE VARIOUS PRO-PRESIDENT ABDELAZIZ BOUTEFLIKA WITH POSTER OF HIS IMAGE VARIOUS TWO FACTIONS CONDUCTING VERBAL SPAT TWO GROUPS CHANT AT EACH OTHER VARIOUS PRO SUPPORTER HITTING ANTI SUPPORTER RIOT POLICE PUSH ANTI LOBBY BACKWARDS
- Embargoed: 7th March 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Algeria, Algeria
- Country: Algeria
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA6IBYZI6I00TPRKFGIFMFQFEN
- Story Text: A small group of Algerians shouting their support for the Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika faced off with hundreds of anti-government protesters in Algeria's capital on Saturday (February 19).
Small scuffles broke out between some of the pro and anti-regime protesters in a street near the May 1 Square where the march was supposed to gather.
Algerian police in riot gear earlier surrounded about 500 protesters defying a ban to march through the capital inspired by uprisings in other parts of the Arab world.
A Reuters reporter at the scene said a group chanting "Algeria -- free and democratic!" tried to reach May 1 Square in the city centre to begin the protest march but were pushed two blocks away by police using batons.
They were then corralled into the courtyard of a residential block, where police in helmets and protective gear surrounded them -- together with several hundred onlookers and some pro-government demonstrators.
Unrest in Algeria could have implications for the world economy since it is a major oil and gas exporter, but analysts say an Egypt-style revolt is unlikely because the government can use its energy wealth to placate most grievances.
The protest was organised by human rights groups, some trade unionists and a small opposition party. Algeria's main opposition forces were not taking part.
Large numbers of police had been mobilised to try to prevent Saturday's protest from going ahead. Dozens of police vans and military-style police armoured vehicles were dotted around the capital hours before the demonstration was supposed to begin.
On the streets approaching May 1 Square, near the city's port, police were lined up along the road while riot-control vehicles with water cannon on standby.
A police helicopter hovered over the centre of Algiers, a city of densely-packed whitewashed buildings sloping down towards the Mediterranean Sea.
"If the authorities are democratic, why are they not allowing us to march?" said a 52-year-old woman at the protest.
Police at the protest detained Belaid Abrika, a prominent opposition figure and campaigner for the rights of Algeria's large Berber minority.
The authorities had refused permission for the march, citing public order concerns, but said the opposition could instead rally in an officially sanctioned venue.
About 150 protesters held a protest last Saturday in May 1 Square and say they want to make it a weekly event until their demands for more democratic freedoms are met.
Many Algerians are unhappy with the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika over high prices, unemployment and poor housing conditions. But they also fear turmoil in a country still emerging from nearly two decades of conflict with Islamist insurgents.
Though the protests themselves have been too small to rattle the authorities, there have been signs of pressure building from inside the ruling establishment for substantial change, including a new government line-up. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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