Tear gas as Zimbabwe police beat anti-Mugabe marchers

Riots erupted in Zimbabwe's capital Harare after police fired tear gas and beat protesters who responded by throwing stones in the latest of a string of highly charged demonstrations.
The violence came yesterday as a High Court judge ordered police "not to interfere (with), obstruct or stop the march".
Dozens of police blocked off the site of an opposition rally for electoral reforms by 2018, when 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe who has ruled the southern African country for decades will seek re-election.
AFP correspondents saw armed police firing tear gas and water cannon at protesters gathered on the fringes of the central business district who were waiting for the march to start.

Demonstrators began throwing stones at police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe.
Some people caught up in the melee, including children going to a nearby agricultural show, ran for shelter in the magistrate's court while riot police pursued the protesters and threatened journalists covering the rally.

The usually-bustling pavements were clear of street hawkers and some shops were shut, as rocks, sticks and burning tyres were strewn across the streets.
Opposition protesters also clashed with supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party who had refused to clear their street stalls.

ZANU-PF youths hurled stones at the opposition activists but were overpowered and their stalls set on fire.
Mugabe slammed the protests and accused foreign powers of having a hand in the unrest.
"They are burning types in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here," said Mugabe in remarks broadcast by state television.
The march was organised by 18 opposition parties including the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru.