The leaders of a mosque in the Algerian city of Bejaia refused to perform Friday prayers and left the mosque in protest against the subject of the sermon.
The worshipers refused to complete the prayer after the Friday sermon at the Al Kawthar Mosque in Bejaia began to talk about the sanctity of going out from the ruler.
Social networking sites posted pictures of the worshipers leaving the mosque in protest at the speech, which supported the vote of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for a fifth term of custody and condemned the protests against his candidature.
Later, a major march was launched in Bejaia to protest against Bouteflika's candidacy, as other cities followed similar rallies after Friday prayers.
Algerian media and social networking sites carried pictures and videos of marches in Bejaia province in which hundreds of citizens, mostly young people, participated.
Algerians have launched calls through social networking sites to go out to the streets and protest against Bouteflika's candidacy, entitled "The March 22 Movement."
The demonstrators held banners reading "No to a fifth pledge, no shame and disgrace", "Algeria is in the middle of hell and you are playing with fire."
"The situation is no longer unbearable and the people will not accept the fifth, and the possibility of a bigger slide is very possible," said a leaflet distributed to protesters.