Cartoon fans the flames of Middle Eastern Muslim protests

Over 1,000 protesters tried to make their way to the US embassy inside a guarded enclave that houses embassies and government offices.

Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep stone-throwing demonstrators away and hundreds of shipping containers were lined up to cordon off the area.

More demonstrations are expected in Pakistan tomorrow as the government has called a national holiday so that people can demonstrate against the film.

Smaller demonstrations also occurred in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan.

And in France, Paris police banned a demonstration planned for Saturday in front of the city's Grand Mosque.

But social networks have been awash with appeals for Muslims in France to defy the ban and hold fresh protests.

Tensions were heightened when the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published obscene cartoons on Wednesday that mocked both the film and the prophet.

Violence over the film has left at least 30 people in seven countries dead, including the US ambassador to Libya.

Meanwhile, in the US, a pro-Israel group won its fight to run provocative adverts in New York subway stations referring to some Muslims as "savages."

The American Freedom Defence Initiative has taken out ads that read: "In any war between the civilised man and the savage, support the civilised man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad."

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com