Swazi police fire water cannons to stop protests
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Police in Swaziland fired water cannons and tear gas, beat people with batons and arrested activists to prevent pro-democracy protests in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy. In recent weeks, an online campaign has tried to rally support for Tuesday's protests, which come exactly 38 years after the current Swazi king's father, King Sobhuza II, banned political parties and abandoned the country's constitution.
Simantele Mmema, spokeswoman for the Swaziland National Association of Teachers, said Tuesday that police fired water cannons and tear gas and beat people with their batons to disperse more than 1,000 workers who were singing and chanting peacefully in a teacher's training center in Manzini, the country's economic hub. (AP)
