[h=3]A Wall Street Journal Roundup[/h]Demonstrations sparked by an anti-Muslim video that started in Egypt this week spread across parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East on Friday, with crowds assaulting U.S. diplomatic compounds in Tunisia, Sudan and Yemen.
Thousands of demonstrators massed outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis and some were seen climbing the outer wall of the grounds and raising a flag on which was written the Muslim profession of faith.
Police responded by firing tear gas, and police gunfire could be heard.
A group of several dozen protesters briefly managed to enter the embassy compound and set fire to cars in an embassy parking lot. They were pushed back outside by security forces who continued to arrive on the scene.
The protests started Tuesday in Egypt, as crowds Inflamed by a video mocking the Prophet Muhammad tried to storm the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. On that day, a violent attack on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
Protests have since spread to countries including Afghanistan, India, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.
One protester was killed in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli in clashes with security forces, after a crowd set fire to a KFC and an Arby's restaurant. Protesters hurled stones and glass at police in a furious melee that left 25 people wounded, 18 of them police, the Associated Press reported.
Protests were held in cities from Tunisia to Pakistan after weekly Friday Muslim prayers, where many clerics in their mosque sermons called on congregations to defend their faith, denouncing obscure movie produced in the United States that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad.
The Pentagon Friday dispatched a team of about 50 Marines to Yemen to help reinforce security at the American Embassy in the capital San'a and protect diplomats in response to protesters breaching the wall of the diplomatic compound on Thursday,
"This is partly in response to the violence at the diplomatic compounds in San'a and partially as a precautionary measure," said a senior U.S. official.
Demonstrations continued Friday in Yemen, but Yemeni officials appeared to be keeping a tighter rein on protesters, preventing them from approaching Western embassies, according to reports. Yemen security forces fired into the air to keep crowds from breaching the wall of the U.S. embassy.
The more aggressive action signaled that Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was exerting stronger control over his security forces and was hoping to avert any setback in relations with Washington. The Yemen government is locked in a bitter war with militants and relies on U.S. trainers and counterterrorism strikes.
All U.S. personnel were removed from the embassy in San'a on Wednesday, before the protests began in Yemen. Some diplomats remain in the country, and State Department and defense officials are eager to safeguard them as well as to protect the embassy compound from further attacks.
The Marine platoon is the second deployment of Marines to the region this week. After the deadly attack in Benghazi a team of Marines was sent to Tripoli to reinforce the main embassy there.
The U.S. embassy security has also been breached this week in Egypt, but the State Department hasn't requested a team of Marines be dispatched to Cairo to help with security there, according to Defense officials.
In Sudan, protesters attacked Western embassies in Khartoum, officials and witnesses said Friday.
Crowds stormed the German and the U.K embassies before setting it ablaze, said an eyewitness with Sudan's activist group, Sudan Change. A stampede ensued after protesters blocked nearby roads, preventing firefighters from attending the stricken embassy, the eyewitness said.
"The German embassy is on fire now, firefighters cannot get to the scene" the witness said.
More than 5,000 protesters then marched to the U.S. Embassy after overwhelming the anti riot police, said Rabie Abdelaty, Sudan's government spokesman. Witnesses said that security guards at the embassy fired at the surging protesters after they breached the perimeter fence. Details on casualties were still scant.
"The police is reinforcing security at the U.S. Embassy, government is committed to provide security to embassy staff and their property,",Mr. Abdelaty said.
In India, thousands of Kashmiri Muslims protested Friday against the video, burning U.S. flags and calling U.S. President Barack Obama a terrorist, the AP reported.
In the southern Indian city of Chennai, protesters threw stones at the U.S. Consulate, shattering some windows and burning an effigy of Mr. Obama. Police quickly cleared the area, arresting more than 100 protesters. U.S. Embassy officials in Delhi didn't immediately comment.
—Julian E. Barnes, Nicholas Bariyo and Charles Levinson contributed to this article.
Thousands of demonstrators massed outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis and some were seen climbing the outer wall of the grounds and raising a flag on which was written the Muslim profession of faith.
Police responded by firing tear gas, and police gunfire could be heard.
A group of several dozen protesters briefly managed to enter the embassy compound and set fire to cars in an embassy parking lot. They were pushed back outside by security forces who continued to arrive on the scene.
The protests started Tuesday in Egypt, as crowds Inflamed by a video mocking the Prophet Muhammad tried to storm the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. On that day, a violent attack on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
Protests have since spread to countries including Afghanistan, India, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.
One protester was killed in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli in clashes with security forces, after a crowd set fire to a KFC and an Arby's restaurant. Protesters hurled stones and glass at police in a furious melee that left 25 people wounded, 18 of them police, the Associated Press reported.
Protests were held in cities from Tunisia to Pakistan after weekly Friday Muslim prayers, where many clerics in their mosque sermons called on congregations to defend their faith, denouncing obscure movie produced in the United States that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad.
The Pentagon Friday dispatched a team of about 50 Marines to Yemen to help reinforce security at the American Embassy in the capital San'a and protect diplomats in response to protesters breaching the wall of the diplomatic compound on Thursday,
"This is partly in response to the violence at the diplomatic compounds in San'a and partially as a precautionary measure," said a senior U.S. official.
Demonstrations continued Friday in Yemen, but Yemeni officials appeared to be keeping a tighter rein on protesters, preventing them from approaching Western embassies, according to reports. Yemen security forces fired into the air to keep crowds from breaching the wall of the U.S. embassy.
The more aggressive action signaled that Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was exerting stronger control over his security forces and was hoping to avert any setback in relations with Washington. The Yemen government is locked in a bitter war with militants and relies on U.S. trainers and counterterrorism strikes.
All U.S. personnel were removed from the embassy in San'a on Wednesday, before the protests began in Yemen. Some diplomats remain in the country, and State Department and defense officials are eager to safeguard them as well as to protect the embassy compound from further attacks.
The Marine platoon is the second deployment of Marines to the region this week. After the deadly attack in Benghazi a team of Marines was sent to Tripoli to reinforce the main embassy there.
The U.S. embassy security has also been breached this week in Egypt, but the State Department hasn't requested a team of Marines be dispatched to Cairo to help with security there, according to Defense officials.
In Sudan, protesters attacked Western embassies in Khartoum, officials and witnesses said Friday.
Crowds stormed the German and the U.K embassies before setting it ablaze, said an eyewitness with Sudan's activist group, Sudan Change. A stampede ensued after protesters blocked nearby roads, preventing firefighters from attending the stricken embassy, the eyewitness said.
"The German embassy is on fire now, firefighters cannot get to the scene" the witness said.
More than 5,000 protesters then marched to the U.S. Embassy after overwhelming the anti riot police, said Rabie Abdelaty, Sudan's government spokesman. Witnesses said that security guards at the embassy fired at the surging protesters after they breached the perimeter fence. Details on casualties were still scant.
"The police is reinforcing security at the U.S. Embassy, government is committed to provide security to embassy staff and their property,",Mr. Abdelaty said.
In India, thousands of Kashmiri Muslims protested Friday against the video, burning U.S. flags and calling U.S. President Barack Obama a terrorist, the AP reported.
In the southern Indian city of Chennai, protesters threw stones at the U.S. Consulate, shattering some windows and burning an effigy of Mr. Obama. Police quickly cleared the area, arresting more than 100 protesters. U.S. Embassy officials in Delhi didn't immediately comment.
—Julian E. Barnes, Nicholas Bariyo and Charles Levinson contributed to this article.