Algerian police battle demonstrators
Algiers, Algeria (PANA) - Clashes were recorded Friday evening in parts of Algeria between demonstrators and police forces who used tear gas to disperse them.
Local television stations showed footage of the intervention by the police to extinguish a fire in one of Algiers' neighbourhoods.
Algerian security services reported injuries in their ranks, including four seriously injured, while 180 people were arrested during "acts of vandalism that caused damage to public and private buildings".
Security sources revealed that the injured were victims of stone throwing and sharp objects thrown by criminals, indicating that acts of violence caused damage to police vehicles.
This is the first time that clashes between police and demonstrators have occurred during marches organized as part of protests against the regime.
Observers fear the loss of the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, which may now turn violent.
In the same vein, a statement by the General Directorate of Algerian National Security stated that foreigners who had come to stir up tensions and encourage young Algerians to use radical forms of expression during the popular marches that the country has been going through since 22 February have been arrested.
-0- PANA YY/IN/TBM/MTA/VAO 12April 2019
