20110301
reuters

HARARE (Reuters) - Internet campaigns calling for protests against the 31-year rule of President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday did not lead to any mass gatherings in Zimbabwe, where police have threatened to crush any "Egypt-style" protests.

The two campaigns, on Facebook and Twitter, were trying to start popular uprisings similar to ones that toppled the long-serving leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and are threatening Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Although there was no unusual security deployment in Harare on Tuesday, private newspaper NewsDay reported that soldiers in armoured troop carriers had been "sighted" on Monday in traditionally restive townships in the capital.

The Facebook campaign calling for a million citizen march and a separate one on Twitter were aimed at bringing down Mugabe, 87, leader since independence from Britain in 1980.

Zimbabweans in London were planning to burn an effigy of Mugabe outside of the country's embassy in London in support of the Facebook campaign.

But by mid-morning, there was no sign of any gathering in the large park in Harare named as the protest venue by the organisers operating under the banner FreeZimActivists.

Other parks, normally packed with people, were largely empty, apparently over people's fears of being caught up in any protest.

Zimbabwe's dominant state media made no reference to the planned demonstration against Mugabe, who rights groups say has used violence and intimidation to crush any challenges.