Moroccan police disperse opposition protest

Rabat: Moroccan security services used truncheons to disperse a pro-democracy protest on the southern outskirts of the capital Rabat on Sunday, injuring around four people, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.

Dozens of protesters, who are part of the February 20 anti-government movement, were attempting to hold a protest picnic in front of what they say is a secret government detention centre where they claim Islamists are held.

Anti-riot police chased the protesters before the rally could begin, beating some with long rubber truncheons. A Reuters reporter said one man had been hit on the nose and a woman was hit in the stomach. There was no word on arrests. There was no immediate comment from Moroccan officials.

They deny having any secret detention centres and say all detainees are treated in strict accordance with the law. The authorities announced on Saturday that the protest had been banned.

Another protest set for Sunday evening in Morocco's commercial capital, Casablanca, has also been banned.