Clashes erupt over pig slaughter in Egypt

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-04-2009 09:53

Egyptian police on Sunday fired tear gas and clashed with irate farmers who were resisting the government's attempt to slaughter all of the nation's pigs. 12 people were injured.

Egyptian youths throw rocks towards police during clashes over a mass cull of pigs in Cairo. Egyptian riot police clashed with stone-throwing pig farmers who were trying to prevent their animals being taken away for slaughter as part of a mass nationwide cull.(AFP/Khaled Desouki)

Cairo authorities said 14 people were arrested and seven police were among the injured in the clashes near the capital.

Police were sent in after farmers resisted initial efforts by government workers to haul their pigs away. Egypt last week ordered the slaughter of all the country's 300-thousand pigs.

This is despite no cases of A-H1N1 flu being reported there. The World Health Organization has said the slaughter was unnecessary because the virus is being spread through humans.