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Zimbabwe protesters tear-gassed Zimbabwe protesters tear-gassed
(31 minutes later)
Zimbabwean police have fired tear gas at hundreds of opposition protesters on the streets of the capital, Harare, after a court banned a protest march.Zimbabwean police have fired tear gas at hundreds of opposition protesters on the streets of the capital, Harare, after a court banned a protest march.
The High Court ruled the opposition could hold a stadium rally but upheld a ban on a march - imposed by police who said they feared it could turn violent. The judge ruled an opposition stadium rally could go ahead but agreed with police warnings that a march would present a threat to public security.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was briefly detained hours before the planned protest march. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained for five hours then released ahead of the planned demonstrations.
The opposition want political reforms before elections scheduled for March.The opposition want political reforms before elections scheduled for March.
After the court ruling, several hundred opposition protesters began walking from the headquarters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in central Harare.After the court ruling, several hundred opposition protesters began walking from the headquarters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in central Harare.
Chanting and waving placards, they made their way towards the rally site, a stadium in the west of the capital. 'Intimidation'
But police told the demonstrators that they were breaking the court order, before firing tear gas and charging. Chanting and waving placards, they made their way towards the rally site, at Glamis Stadium in the west of the capital.
'Mockery' It's a mockery of African solutions to African problems. It's a mockery to humankind Nelson Chamisa,Opposition spokesman
Mr Tsvangirai was arrested at his home in Harare early on Wednesday morning, and released after five hours. But police told the demonstrators they were breaking the court order, before firing tear gas and charging.
A spokesman for the MDC said many people had been trying to reach the stadium for the rally but had been intimidated by the heavy police presence.
Mr Tsvangirai, who was arrested at his home in Harare early on Wednesday morning, reportedly addressed a few hundred people outside the stadium.
On Tuesday, state radio said police suspected "sinister motives" behind the march.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the Associated Press news agency the ban, imposed on Monday, flew in the face of outside efforts to resolve the situation in Zimbabwe.
A struggle to surviveA struggle to survive
The MDC had mounted a legal appeal after the march was banned on Monday.
The party wants to protest at the state of Zimbabwe's failed economy and is demanding a new constitution before elections are held, probably in two months.
The MDC warned this month it would boycott the polls if it was not satisfied with preparations to ensure they would be free and fair.
Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the Associated Press news agency the ban on the march flew in the face of South African efforts to resolve the situation in Zimbabwe.
"It's a mockery of [South African] President [Thabo] Mbeki's efforts. It's a mockery of African solutions to African problems. It's a mockery to humankind," he said."It's a mockery of [South African] President [Thabo] Mbeki's efforts. It's a mockery of African solutions to African problems. It's a mockery to humankind," he said.
State radio said police believed Wednesday's march would not be peaceful and it was "not in the interest of public security for it to proceed". The party is demanding a new constitution before elections, which President Robert Mugabe said would be held in two months.
The government last year said it would relax tough security laws that have been used to block political rallies. The MDC warned this month it would boycott the polls if it was not satisfied with preparations to ensure they would be free and fair.
The BBC's Peter Greste, in neighbouring South Africa, says the rally was also organised to protest about the state of the economy, with unemployment more than 80% and inflation widely thought to be more than 50,000%.
The demonstration was the first test of the new public order and security act which should, in theory, allow political rallies after simply informing the police, our correspondent says.