Protesters clash with police in Cairo

An anti-government protest in Egypt has turned violent as opposition called on activists to take to the streets nationwide to demand political and economic reforms.

Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters in the capital, Cairo. Several people are said to have been injured.

More than 30,000 police have been mobilized in the city centre to launch a crackdown on the protesters.

Some have gathered outside the Supreme Court, chanting slogans against President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for three decades, and his government.

Protests have also been held in other parts of the country, including the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The events have been inspired by the recent revolution in Tunisia.

“Zine El Abidine, who is coming next?” the protesters shouted.

Organizers say it is a day of revolt against torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment.

Egypt has many of the same social and political problems as Tunisia like rising food prices, high unemployment and state corruption.

A former Arab League envoy to the United Nations says the Tunisian revolution is inspiring the Arab world, which is worn-out by various dictatorial regimes.

In an interview with Press TV, Clovis Maksoud said Tunisia’s revolution “is one of the most inspiring events of the Arab world in the contemporary time.”

The revolution “is the prognosis by which many frustrated people in various countries — suffering dictatorship, poverty, and marginalization, are now being empowered,” said the former ambassador to the United Nations.