TRIPOLI - Several hundred supporters of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gathered in the capital on Thursday to counteract online calls for an anti-government “day or rage” inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. New York-based Human Rights Watch said Libyan authorities had detained 14 activists, writers and protesters who had been preparing the anti-government protests, and there were unconfirmed reports of two people killed in an eastern city. In a country where public dissent is rarely tolerated, plans for the protests were being circulated by anonymous activists on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter but telephone lines to some parts of the country were out of order. Libya has been tightly controlled for over 40 years by Muammar Gaddafi ��" who is now Africa's longest-serving leader ��" but the oil exporter has felt the ripples from the overthrow of long-standing leaders in its neighbours Egypt and Tunisia. In Libya, the military coup in 1969 which brought Gaddafi to power is referred to as the revolution. There was no sign of any anti-government protests. On Omar Al Mokhtar street, Tripoli's main thoroughfare, traffic was moving as normal, banks and shops were open and there was no increased security presence. Gaddafi was quoted as saying on Wednesday that “revolutionaries” would prevail, although he did not mention the unrest. “Down with the enemies, down with them everywhere; down with the puppets everywhere, the puppets are falling, the autumn leaves are falling.” the BBC quoted Gaddafi as saying. “The puppets of the USA, the puppets of Zionism are falling.” The BBC also quoted an unnamed senior Libyan official as warning that the authorities “will not allow a group of people to move around at night and play with the security of Libya”. Though some Libyans complain about unemployment, inequality and limits on political freedoms, analysts say an Egypt-style revolt is unlikely because the government can use oil revenues to smooth over most social problems. Witnesses and local media reported that several hundred people clashed with police and Gaddafi supporters on Tuesday night in the city of Benghazi, about 1,000 km (600 miles) east of the Libyan capital.
