Gallery: 6 killed, 1000s arrested in Egypt protests

Demonstrations against Mubarak's government rage into third day in Cairo, Alexandria, other Egyptian cities.

Egyptian Protests 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Egyptian Protests 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)

CAIRO — Thousands of Egyptians have vented their rage against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic government for two straight days of protests that defied a ban on public gatherings. Baton-wielding police responded with tear gas and beatings in a crackdown that has shown no tolerance for dissent.

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Egypt's largest anti-government protests in years echoed the uprising in Tunisia, threatening to destabilize the leadership of the most important U.S. ally in the Arab world. The ability of the protesters to sustain the momentum for three days in the face of such a heavy-handed police response was a rare feat in this country.