Riot squad breaks up gathering

Zimbabwe's riot police descended on a Chitungwiza suburb on Saturday and beat up hundreds of residents who had gathered at a shopping centre for the official opening of a marketplace by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the 'Daily News' reported. Tsvangirai, according to his spokesman, was forced to abandon the function to avoid an escalation of violence in the event that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party youths fought back. A crowd of about 3,000 had braved the rain to witness the ceremony in St Mary's suburb, the newspaper said. However, when police reinforcements arrived, the riot squad charged the gathering with batons drawn. One policeman was quoted as saying: "We are under instructions from our superiors not to allow Tsvangirai to address rallies in Chitungwiza. We will make sure this will not happen." In the aftermath, police reportedly patrolled the suburb beating people on the street as alleged MDC supporters.