EU and US back Algerian protests

The US and EU have voiced support for tens of thousands of demonstrators in Algeria who have been demanding that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika step down. BBC News reports State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino said the Algerian people had the right to peaceful assembly while European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said the EU expected Algerians to be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights. The head of the Algerian army, General Ahmed Gaid Salah, has warned that the military would not allow security to break down.