Mubarak Protesters Beaten In Cairo

Police Crackdown On Crowd At Pro-Reform Rally

(AP)  Police and government supporters beat pro-reform activists with batons, sometimes kicking them as they on lay the ground, during a protest Saturday against President Hosni Mubarak's announcement that he would run for re-election for a fifth time.

The vote is the first in which Mubarak, in power for 24 years, will face an opponent, and his government has said it will serve as a launching pad for greater democracy. The United States also praised the elections, though Mubarak opponents are more skeptical.

On Saturday, several hundred men and women were gathering to begin their march toward Cairo's main square when men in plainclothes descended on them, swinging billy clubs and assaulting the demonstrators.

Burly government supporters surrounded activists sprawled on the pavement, kicking them in the head and ribs and tearing at their clothes. Others lifted protesters in the air by the arms and legs, hauling them off to police trucks. One elderly man wandered in a daze, his head bleeding.

"Down with the rule of the dog Mubarak," one young man yelled as he was being clubbed.

The Interior Ministry said the demonstrators had gathered illegally and, after refusing warnings to leave, threw stones at police. Security forces dispersed the gathering, arresting 20 people, who were still being held, the ministry said in a statement. Others were detained and released.

Protesters denied any stones were thrown.

Most major opposition groups are boycotting the Sept. 7 election, calling Mubarak's move to open the vote to multiple candidates a sham. The 77-year-old Mubarak is expected to win easily.

There was similar violence in May during a constitutional referendum, when government supporters attacked and sexually assaulted several women during a reform protest.

That violence brought criticism from the United States, which has been pressing its ally to ensure the September election is fair and democratic.