Police in Algeria are deployed ahead of a democracy rally which has been banned by the government
Algeria police deployed ahead of banned democracy rally. Riot police have been deployed in the centre of the Algerian capital, Algiers, ahead of a planned anti-government rally. The government has banned the protest, but opposition and rights groups say they intend to go ahead with the march. Algeria - like other countries in the region - has recently witnessed demonstrations for greater freedoms. On Friday, police stopped people from gathering to celebrate the fall of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. The BBC's Chloe Arnold in Algiers say the authorities want to avert any popular uprising similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt. "We are ready for the march," Mohsen Belabes, a spokesman for the small Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) opposition party, said. "It's going to be a great day for democracy in Algeria," he told Reuters news agency.
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