Egyptian police fire tear gas to end clashes in Cairo

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police used tear gas on Friday to end clashes in Cairo between supporters and opponents of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, the state news agency MENA said. Mursi's supporters have been staging protests almost daily in towns and cities across Egypt since the army deposed him on July 3 in response to mass protests against him. The Cairo clashes took place in the well-to-do district of Mohandeseen, when a march by Brotherhood supporters came face-to-face with an opposing crowd. The Mursi supporters were holding placards showing the four-finger logo of solidarity with those killed when security forces razed pro-Mursi protest camps in Cairo last August. "Down, down with military rule!" the protesters chanted. Similar pro-Brotherhood protests were staged in other parts of Cairo along with the Suez Canal cities of Suez and Port Said. Most of the marches set off from mosques after Friday's noon prayers. The police arrested 73 pro-Brotherhood protesters in different places for "inciting riots", according to an Interior Ministry statement. Two weeks ago a law was promulgated that banned protests near or originating from places of worship, and made it compulsory to seek Interior Ministry permission to hold a demonstration. A ministry official said no such request had been filed for Friday's protests. Around 180 Brotherhood protesters were arrested during similar protests last Friday. On Thursday, three prominent liberal political activists were ordered to stand trial for staging protests without permission. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands arrested since Mursi was deposed and the army installed an interim president and government in his place. (Reporting by Yasmine Saleh, additional reporting by Mahmoud Omar; Editing by Kevin Liffey)