No Arab Spring in Zimbabwe - Mugabe warns protesters

Zimbabwe's opposition supporters set up a burning barricade as they clash with police during a protest for electoral reforms on Friday in Harare.

President Robert Mugabe on Friday warned that the Arab Spring style of protests would fall flat in Zimbabwe after police fired teargas and beat up protesters staging the latest of a string of highly charged demonstrations.

Dozens of police blocked off the site of the opposition rally for electoral reforms by 2018 when 92-year-old Mugabe, who has ruled the country for decades, will seek re-election.

A man lies on the ground after Zimbabwean riot police tear-gassed protesters during clashes in Harare.

The protesters responded to the clampdown by throwing stones at the police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe.


"They are burning tyres in the streets 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.

"What politics is that when you burn tyres? We want peace in the country," said Mugabe, accusing foreign powers of having a hand in the unrest.

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.

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.

'Very deep anger' 
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.

Opposition leaders condemned the brutal repression of the protest and vowed to increase pressure on Mugabe's regime.

"If that was meant to stop us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday," former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa told reporters.

Protests "will continue until the day we vote", said Mutasa, a former top member of Zanu-PF who is now a senior member of Mujuru's party. "We have had enough of Zanu-PF misrule."

Tsvangirai said the public would not be easily calmed. "The people's anger is very deep. The people's desperation is very deep," he said. "Today's brutal suppression of the people will not stop them from exercising their rights."