[Algerians hold a rally in Paris. Read photo caption below.]

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Algeria's Berbers plan a protest march next month in a bold new sign of defiance of authorities who banned marches in the capital after a massive demonstration turned violent.
The decision was reported by local newspapers and comes amid sporadic clashes between mostly young protesters and police across the Kabyle region, which is home to Algeria's minority Berbers.
Local leaders meeting in the Berber regional capital of Tizi Ouzou decided to ignore the ban because last week's pro-democracy march in Algiers, which drew an estimated 1 million people, was so successful, Le Matin newspaper reported Thursday.
Berber leaders told demonstrators to march peacefully in the scheduled July 5 rally to deny the military-backed government a pretext for cracking down, El Watan newspaper reported. The newspaper reports could not immediately be confirmed with local leaders.
The government earlier this week announced it was indefinitely banning protest marches in the capital after the Berber's June 14 rally turned violent. Riot police fired tear gas and used water cannons to push back demonstrators trying to reach the presidential palace. Four people died and hundreds were injured in the turmoil.
``What happened on Black Thursday in Algiers was nothing but a huge manipulation by the authorities in order to discredit the citizens' movement and turn one part of the population - which had come to march peacefully - against the other,'' El Watan said.
The Berbers, who claim to be the original inhabitants of North Africa, have had tense relations with Algiers for decades as they press their demand for official recognition of the Berber language, Tamazight, and an end to what they say is government discrimination against them.
The recent wave of unrest began two months ago in the eastern Kabyle region when a young Berber died in police custody. Since then, violent protests have spread to other regions of this North African nation, and government opponents have criticized Algeria's security forces for what they say has been brutal treatment of protesters.
Hundreds of young Algerians have taken to the streets daily across the Kabyle region, and about 60 people have been killed. Throughout the riots, youths have often attacked public buildings, targeting them as symbols of an administration they deem corrupt and arrogant.
Newspapers on Thursday reported more violence in the region, with at least three people killed, including two members of the security forces.
In Tizi Ouzou, protesters set fire to a tobacco depot located next to the town's police station. In other towns, protesters blocked roads and threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police stations. At one point police fired tear gas at demonstrators.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power since 1999, has been criticized for remaining largely silent about the clashes and for failing to end the separate threat of a nine-year Islamic insurgency that has left 100,000 dead, but has said he does not intend to step down.
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PHOTO CAPTION

Algerian demonstrators hold a rally in Paris, Sunday June 17, 2001. Up to 2,200, mostly from the large Algerian immigrant community in Paris, converged on the city center Sunday to show their solidarity with their fellow Algerians and to demand the end of the current Algerian government. The placard in the foreground reads, "Massinissa, an innocent who shook Algeria... The blood of Massinissa the hero." Guermah Massinissa was allegedly killed by Algerian police last April 20, 2001 in Bent-Douala, Algeria. The flag at left in the background is the Kabyle flag, where most of the recent protests have occurred. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
- Jun 17 3:48 PM ET
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