US Embassy flag in Egypt torn down in Prophet Muhammad video protest

Protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and pulled down the American flag during a protest over what they said was a film produced in the United States that insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
In place of the U.S. flag at the embassy courtyard, the protesters tried to raise a black flag with the words: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger".
Once the U.S. flag was hauled down, protesters tore it up, with some showing off small pieces to television cameras. Then others burned pieces of the flag before riot police arrived. Most of the 2,000 in the crowd later left but several hundred remained. Some reports said warning shots were fired.
The film, clips of which are online, shows a portrayal of the prophet having sex and calling for massacres.
"This movie must be banned immediately and an apology should be made ... This is a disgrace," said 19-year-old Ismail Mahmoud, a member of the so-called "ultras" soccer supporters who played a big role in the uprising that brought down Hosni Mubarak last year.
Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet Muhammad to be offensive.
The embassy had put out a statement earlier on Tuesday condemning those who hurt the religious feelings of Muslims or followers of any other religions.
"We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others," the embassy said in its statement.
"Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy," it stated, adding that it condemned the efforts by "misguided individuals" to hurt the feelings of Muslims.
One slogan scrawled on the walls of the embassy, a fortress-like structure that is near Tahrir Square where Egyptians revolted against Mubarak, said: "If your freedom of speech has no limits, may you accept our freedom of action."
An Egyptian state website carried a statement by Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church condemning what it said were moves by some Christian Copts living abroad "to finance the production of a film insulting Prophet Mohammad".
About a 10th of Egypt's 83 million people are Christians.
The protests came after some Egyptian media have been reporting on the film for several days, with ultraconservative clerics going on air to denounce it.