Clashes erupt in Libyan capital between rival protests

Clashes erupted in the Libyan capital between crowds demonstrating against militias in the city and supporters of a law to exclude Gaddafi-era officials from top government jobs.
Several hundred people gathered in Tripoli's central Algeria Square yesterday to protest against militias that have been laying siege to the justice and foreign ministries to call for the sacking of officials from the ousted regime of Muammar Gaddafi, an AFP journalist said.
Protesters waved placards reading "The era of the militias is over" and "Attacks on the ministries are attacks on the Libyan people" as well as "No to weapons, yes to dialogue."

The crowd marched to Martyrs' Square where they clashed with demonstrators calling for the adoption of the law to exclude Gaddafi-era officials from top government posts, although no one was hurt.
The main demonstration then left the square for the prime minister's office to "express Tripolitans' solidarity with the government and the legitimate authorities in the country," an organiser said.
Libya's army had taken up positions earlier yesterday at strategic sites around the capital, and soldiers in pickup trucks mounted with machineguns were also deployed on Martyrs' Square ahead of the protests.
Meanwhile, in the eastern city of Benghazi, armed men waving guns broke up a protest by a group demonstrating against the sieges of government ministries in Tripoli, activist Mabrouka al-Mesmari said.

"There were 15 of us at the demonstration. A group of armed militiamen came and stopped us from gathering and threatened us with their weapons," she said.