A heavy police presence cut short protests in Cairo and elsewhere

Egyptian textile workers and police have clashed after security forces prevented a strike by taking control of a major Nile Delta textiles plant.

Workers threw stones at police and set fire to shops in Mahalla as police fired tear gas to disperse protesters.

Elsewhere in Egypt, protests against economic conditions have largely failed in the face of a heavy police presence.

But traffic in Cairo was reported to be lighter than usual as many people avoided going to work or school.

Tough action threatened

Independent workers' rights organizers had hoped a strike by the 20,000 employees of the state-owned Misr Helwan Spinning and Weaving Company would be the centerpiece of a nationwide day of action against rising prices and low wages.

Police occupied the factory in Mahalla, in northern Egypt, overnight and prevented workers from gathering at the end of their shifts.

However, as many as 2,000 protesters gathered in the town's main square where they clashed with police.

At least 50 people were arrested, officials said. Witnesses said more than 100 people were injured in the textile town, Reuters news agency reported.

About 50 more people were arrested in Cairo and several provinces as a heavy police presence cut short other protests.

Solidarity strikes and demonstrations elsewhere in Egypt were cancelled.

The authorities had threatened tough action against anyone taking part in a strike, saying no public demonstrations would be tolerated.

Strikes are illegal in Egypt and in the past the government has ordered the police to break them up by using force.

Limited appeal

The attempted strike came two days before key municipal elections on Tuesday, the first to take place under the constitutional amendments passed in March 2007.

Some schools cancelled classes and told pupils to stay at home, possibly because of fears of trouble in the streets rather than the strike itself.

The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says that although a wave of popular discontent has been sweeping the country in response to the rising cost of food and low wages, the groups calling for the general strike have limited public appeal.

Workers are also divided about striking. Labour leader Sayyid Habib said the government was working to meet the workers' demands.

"We have to give them a chance to see improvements," he told Associated Press news agency.

In September, thousands of workers seized control of the Mahalla factory during a similar strike.

A strike at the plant in December 2006 led to a wave of labor protests and demonstrations across Egypt, after which the state met the workers' demands.

The Egyptian government has promised to increase salaries and has extended its food subsidy program to include an additional 15 million people.

More than a third of Egyptians live below or just above the poverty line of $2 (£1) a day.

PHOTO CAPTION

An Egyptian activist raises his national flag in front of riot policemen deployed in downtown Cairo.

BBC