"There is nothing serious here," he said. "These are just young people fighting each other."
Driven by discontent and fueled by social media, protests in the region spread this week not just to Libya but to Iran and Bahrain. Anti-government sentiment has also manifested itself on the streets of Algeria, Jordan, Syria and Yemen.
In Yemen, Sanaa University students protested Wednesday, calling for an improved curriculum, but the demonstration rapidly morphed into an anti-government stand.
Participants said government supporters outside the university gates hurled rocks, but the situation stayed under control. It was at least the sixth day that scuffles had broken out between the government's supporters and foes.
Activist Abdul Rahman Barman said three anti-government protesters were injured when government supporters attacked them after the demonstration. One had to be hospitalized for head injuries, he said.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power for 32 years but has pledged not to run for re-election when his current term ends in 2013.
In nearby Bahrain, thousands of people marched in a peaceful funeral procession for Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, who was killed when clashes erupted during the funeral for another protester.
They camped out at the Pearl Roundabout, a landmark in the capital, Manama, that has been adopted by protesters as their Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's revolution.
A massive pearl sits at the apex of a circle of inward-sweeping arches, and Wednesday, Bahrainis camped out at its base and painted anti-government slogans.
Later in the day, flag-waving pro-government demonstrators were out in Manama and the second largest city of Muharraq.
