Rocks and batons fly as Yemen protests erupt in violence

Rocks and batons flew in central Sanaa on Monday as pro-democracy protesters clashed violently with police and supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, witnesses said. Clashes between police and protesters also broke out Monday in the city of Taez, south of Sanaa, where thousands of people joined demonstrations against Saleh, witnesses there said.
In Sanaa, around 3,000 protesters marched from Sanaa University towards Al-Tahrir square in the centre of the capital demanding that Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years, step down, an AFP reporter said. City streets around the square echoed to chants of "After Mubarak, Ali," referring to the ouster of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak who quit after 18 days of protests by hundreds of thousands of Egyptians centered on Cairo's main square, also named Tahrir. Shouts of "No corruption after today," reverberated through the narrow streets, while some demonstrators brandished banners reading: "The people want to oust the regime" - slogans used by protesters in Egypt.