The government tried to block the protests with some early arrests, but that appears to have backfired.
"Libya is bracing itself for a “day of anger” as the wave of popular unrest that swept away the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents spreads to the oil-exporting north African country ruled by Muammer Gaddafi since 1969.
Inspired by the revolts in the region, Libyan activists have been calling on Facebook for mass rallies on Thursday to mark the deaths in February 2006 of a dozen demonstrators during a protest against the Danish illustrator who drew images of the prophet Mohamed.
But it provoked an immediate reaction from the families late on Tuesday. They held a demonstration that turned into clashes with pro-Gaddafi supporters and, according to local media, left 14 people injured.
The unrest in Libya, which has Africa’s largest proved oil reserves, comes as protesters in Bahrain stepped up demands for constitutional change after occupying the Pearl roundabout in Manama, the capital."