Sat 03 August 2019:
Algerian protesters have descended on the capital in huge numbers, describing the heavy police presence and tight security measures as a violation of freedoms. Marching calmly for the 24th consecutive Friday through the center of Algiers, demonstrators shouted slogans such as “You hold onto power, but we insist that you leave!”
Mass demonstrations began in February against the two-decade rule of ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced to step down in April. Protesters have continued to take to the streets, calling for the fall of other regime insiders, including army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah and Bouteflika’s interim replacement Abdelkader Bensalah. “Salah — resign!” the protesters shouted. Large numbers of police vehicles lined both sides of key roads in the city center, hindering movement, while they also blocked access via secondary roads.
Thousands of officers — some in uniform, including riot gear; others in plain clothes — were deployed and a dozen people arrested in the morning, before being taken away in police vans. A six-member panel that has been set up by Bensalah to oversee a national dialogue asked the interim leader not to tighten the noose on demonstrators, who said the authorities acted against the committee’s will.
Two of the panel’s members, Izz al-Din bin Isa and Smail Lalmas, suspended their membership. A trader on Friday appeared perplexed by the authorities’ refusal to cede ground. “Why has Gaid refused measures to calm things down?” asked 67-year-old Hocine Slimani. “Why leave young protesters in prison? How is it possible to talk in these conditions?”
The protest movement has been calling for key measures to be taken before any dialogue, including lifting police roadblocks around Algiers and ending other efforts to impede marches. Protesters are also demanding the release of people arrested in connection to demonstrations as a prerequisite to talks.
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