Egyptian authorities ban further protests

Protesters confront police during an anti-government demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 25, 2011. Thousands of Egyptian protesters hit the streets Tuesday in an unprecedented demonstration against President Hosni Mubarak and the government, causing downtown Cairo to become standstill and gaining momentum all over the country rapidly. (Xinhua/Ahmad Karem)

CAIRO, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian authorities said Wednesday that further protests will be banned after Tuesday's mass gatherings in Cairo and some other places in Egypt.

A statement of the Interior Ministry said anyone who organizes protests would be subject to legal questioning.

The statement called on people to discard attempts to exploit their problems and to bear in mind the dangers of stirring the sentiments of ordinary people to open doors for havoc and chaos.

"Police separated the crowds after we learnt that the protesters planned to escalate matters and invite other groups," the ministry's statement said.

The statement also denied that massive protests took place in other places, saying the intensive presence was in Tahrir Square in central Cairo where no more than 10,000 protesters amassed and by the evening they were reduced to half.

Thousands of Egyptian protesters hit the streets on Tuesday in an unprecedented demonstration against the government, causing downtown Cairo to become standstill and gaining momentum all over the country rapidly. The protests in downtown Cairo were dispersed by police at 1:00 am Wednesday (2300 GMT Tuesday), with the use of tear gas and water cannons as protesters refused to leave.

A number of activists called for a second day of protests, but none has erupted yet.

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