Cairo Hit by 'Day of Revolt'
BBC News reports:
Police in Cairo are using tear gas and water cannon to try to quell rare anti-government protests.
Thousands have joined the protests after an internet campaign inspired by the uprising in Tunisia.
They are marching through Cairo and other areas chanting anti-government slogans, after activists called for a "day of revolt" in a web message.
Weeks of unrest in Tunisia eventually toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali earlier this month.
Protests are uncommon in Egypt, which President Hosni Mubarak has ruled since 1981, tolerating little dissent.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her administration supported "the fundamental right of expression and assembly" and urged all parties "to exercise restraint".
She added that Washington believed the Egyptian government was "stable" and "looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people".
The events in Cairo were co-ordinated on a Facebook page - tens of thousands of supporters clicked on the page to say they would take part.
Reports said the social networking site Twitter had been blocked in Egypt and that mobile phone networks in the Cairo area were down.
