Thousands of students and lawyers on Monday called in Sana'a for democratic changes and the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. This came after the opposition agreed to resume dialogue and after the Yemeni leader delayed a trip to the United States because of "the circumstances in the region."
Hundreds of students marched from the Sana'a University before they were joined by a large number of the Bar Association members as well as civil society activists, AFP reported. Amid tight security, more than 3000 protesters marched from the campus, trying to reach the near Tahrir Square, where some 1000 supporters of the ruling party staged their own rally.
The government security forces prevented demonstrators from reaching the Square near the headquarters of the Yemeni government with electrified barbed wire.
The demonstrators carried placards calling for the fall of the regime and the departure of Saleh and shouted, "People want to overthrow the regime" and "after Mubarak, Ali" and "no corruption after today."
The members of the police, some in civilian clothes, according to the demonstrators, dispersed the demonstration using batons.
In Taiz (South Yemen) thousands of demonstrators also called for regime change. Sources close to the protesters, told AFP some eight people were injured during the break up of the demonstration.
