Niger police use force at protest against Charlie Hebdo cartoons

Nigerien police forces have fired tear gas at protesters demanding revocation of a ban on demonstrations against anti-Islam cartoons published by French magazine, Charlie Hebdo.

Protesters converged in the center of the capital, Niamey, on Sunday for a long-planned march against a parliament's decision to ban demonstrations.

Police forces reportedly arrested seven protesters as they hurled stones at the cops.

The parliamentarians' decision came in the wake of recent violent rallies in Niger that left several people dead.

Protesters were outraged over the sacrilegious cartoons published by Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday.

They have pledged to press ahead with their demonstrations, which have also turned into a tool for the opposition to slam government policies.

Protests on Saturday saw at least five people killed while a number of buildings in the capital were also set on fire. Demonstrators attacked bars, hotels, and various businesses which were deemed to be connected to France.

Other cities across the country have also witnessed similar marches over the past few days with five other people killed in rampage in Niger’s second largest city, Zinder, on Friday.

Many in Niger still feel the old hate for France as a former colonial power. However, the recent publication of sacrilegious illustrations in the French weekly, which was defended by Paris as a representation of freedom of expression, has already fueled anti-France sentiments in the Western African nation.

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