(21 Nov 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of street scene,
2. Pile of wooden crates and tyres on fire in the background
3. Various of people and fire on street
4. Pan of riot police running down street
5. Wide of debris, fires and people on street
6. Wide of police and police truck on street
7. Man being arrested by riot police
8. Various of protest march
9. Police truck arrives
10. Riot police running towards the rally
11. Riot police forming a line to stop protesters
12. Protesters, police in front of them
13. Various of police beating protester, then firing tear gas
14. Placard on the ground
15. Riot police firing teargas
16. Police with batons drawn returning to van
STORYLINE
Street vendors protesting an attempt to clear hawkers and beggars from the centre of Senegal's capital clashed with police on Wednesday, throwing rocks at officers who fired teargas to clear the crowd.
Bands of young men burned piles of wooden crates and tyres in a few areas of central Dakar.
Witnesses said most groups numbered about 60 or 70 people, seen in four or five neighbourhoods of the city.
Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowds, and chased down protesters, arresting some and shoving them into the backs of trucks.
Later protesters regrouped, marching through the city with placards and singing anti-government chants.
Again the riot police arrived, forming a line to prevent the march from continuing.
AP Television filmed one man being beaten by police who again fired tear gas to clear the crowd.
The violence prompted the government to cancel transport unions' permit for a planned march in the afternoon.
About 600 people went on with the march anyway, facing off against riot police.
Last week, Senegal's security forces began clearing the capital's intersections of beggars and hawkers under a presidential decree aimed at bringing some order to Dakar's clogged streets.
Local aid groups estimate that there are between 50,000 and 100,000 unlicensed vendors and beggars in the capital.
Young men sell everything from ironing boards to electronics in Dakar's streets.
Many shops throughout the city were already closed on Wednesday in preparation for a planned strike by Dakar's transport unions.
Many see the attempt to clear the streets as part of Dakar's attempt to clean up its image ahead of an Islamic summit it is hosting next year.
Numerous high-rise buildings, five-star hotels and luxury bungalows are being built for the summit, along with new highways.
The demonstrations didn't appear large enough to disrupt daily life in most of Dakar - though some streets were blocked and downtown markets were quiet for a normally busy weekday.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
