Huge crowds mark Berber uprising

Berber protests are now more about political grievances

By Stephanie Irvine BBC North Africa correspondent

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a demonstration in the capital of the Kabylie region of Algeria to mark the anniversary of the Berber uprising of 1980 - the "Black Spring".

According to the Socialist Forces Front, the biggest political party in Kabylie and one of the organisers of the demonstration, around 70,000 people gathered outside the university in the city of Tizi Ouzou and marched to the seat of the local government.

They chanted slogans demanding greater democracy and improved social conditions and repeated their call for a boycott of the parliamentary elections due in May.

Protesters built a memorial to Massinissa Guermah who died in police custody

They also called for the release from prison of around 100 local activists who have been arrested after clashes with police in the last month.

The march marks the anniversary of rioting in 1980, known as the "Black Spring", when local Berbers demanded greater rights for their ethnic minority.

Discontent

The protest in the region now, however, is less about ethnic identity and more about discontent with the political system.

Some of the demonstrators carried portraits of a teenager, Massinissa Guermah, who was killed in police custody last April. That incident sparked rioting which caused at least 60 deaths.

Human Rights Watch has complained that police responsible for some of those deaths have still not been prosecuted, despite promises by the government.

The organisers of the march said it was peaceful, with no obvious police presence.

This contrasts with the violent clashes which are reported to have taken place over the last few days between police and protesters in various parts of Kabylie.