Protesters shun anti-Islam movie in Ankara

A group of protesters on Sunday shouted anti-U.S. slogans in the Turkish capital against a film mocking Islam that has sparked deadly riots across the Middle East and North Africa. The group of around 50 Muslims shouted "Allahu Akbar" and "Death to America" some 100 meters (yards) from the U.S. embassy in Ankara as riot police blocked a road near the compound for security reasons. The protestors also unfurled banners "Wait for us, White House!" and "The United States, Your end will be frightening," urging Muslim nations to stand up for their rights in the face of the anti-Islam movie. The group later set fire to a U.S. flag before ending their protest peacefully, witnessed an AFP reporter at the scene. In cities across the Muslim world protesters have vented their fury at the "Innocence of Muslims" -- an amateur film produced in the United States -- by targeting symbols of U.S. influence ranging from embassies and schools to fast food chains. Washington has recalled non-essential staff from embassies in Sudan and Tunisia while Al-Qaeda has called for more attacks on U.S. targets to avenge the film. A second group of protesters also gathered in the same area in Ankara close to the U.S. embassy and condemned Washington's policies in the Middle East and especially in neighboring Syria. The group of some 50 protesters from the Workers' Party shouted slogans "Yankee go home" and "America the Murderer, Get out of the Middle East, Get out of Turkey." They also chided the Ankara government for pursuing policies in the Middle East on instructions from the Obama administration.