(21 Sep 2012) Hundreds of Pakistanis furious at an anti-Islam film made in the US that denigrates the religion's prophet clashed with police in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday.
Tens of thousands protested across the country with police firing tear gas and live ammunition in an attempt to subdue rioters who hurled rocks and set fire to buildings in some cities.
The film has sparked unrest in many parts of the Muslim world over the past 10 days, and the deaths of at least 31 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been linked to the violence.
Much of the anger has been directed at the U.S. government even though the film was privately produced in the U.S. and American officials have criticised it for insulting Muslims.
Pakistan has experienced nearly a week of violent rallies against the film in which three people have died.
The government declared Friday to be a national holiday - "Love for the Prophet Day" - and encouraged people to protest peacefully.
As in past days, most of the protests were led by hardline Islamist groups, and the turnout was relatively small given Pakistan's population of 190 (m) million people.
In Peshawar, Pakistani police opened fire on rioters who were torching a cinema during a protest against the film, and security forces clashed with demonstrators in several other cities in Pakistan.
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