- Title: ALGERIA: Protest in Algeria over housing conditions
- Date: 20th October 2009
- Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (OCTOBER 19, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RIOTERS STARTING FIRE VARIOUS OF SECURITY FORCES GATHERING VARIOUS OF FIRE BURNING AT NIGHTFALL RIOTERS ON THE STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic), 29 YEAR OLD PROTESTER, HICHEM, SAYING: "They are giving houses according to personal considerations. We ask them to give them to us like they do to the others, are we all not people? Some of us have families of up to 14 persons. How can they sleep? One at a time? Some young boys spend all the night outside taking drugs so that their brothers and sisters can sleep. We will not stop the riot." MORE OF RIOTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic), 35 YEAR OLD PROTESTER, MOHAMED, SAYING: "We will not stop and we will fight until the death. We want the dismissal of the mayor." POLICEMAN WATCHING THE RIOTERS
- Embargoed: 4th November 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Algeria
- Country: Algeria
- Topics: Domestic Politics,Social Services / Welfare
- Reuters ID: LVA6SWRU0QTRS8HF66VUI9OAD202
- Story Text: Police in the Algerian capital use water cannon to try to disperse about 100 young men protesting about housing conditions.
Police in the Algerian capital used water cannon on Monday (October 19) to try to disperse about 100 young men protesting about housing conditions.
Algeria, an oil and gas producer which suffers from high unemployment and a housing shortage, has periodic outbreaks of social unrest but rarely in the heavily-policed capital.
A Reuters reporter in the Diar Echams district saw the protesters throwing stones at a force of about 400 police officers. Police in riot gear use water cannon and an armoured vehicle in unsuccessful attempts to disperse them.
Residents said the protesters lived in a shantytown and were angered when local authorities published a list of those eligible for re-housing. They believed they were being discriminated against, the residents said.
"They are giving houses according to personal considerations. We ask them to give them to us like they do to the others, are we all not people? Some of us have families of up to 14 persons. How can they sleep? One at a time? Some young boys spend all the night outside taking drugs so that their brothers and sisters can sleep. We will not stop the riot." said one protester, Hichem.
"We will not stop and we will fight until the death. We want the dismissal of the mayor." added another protester Mohamed.
By evening, there was a lull in the clashes after police and representatives of the protesters began negotiations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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