POLICE have arrested 138 people after Egyptian traders in the Mediterranean city of Port Said staged a violent protest over the revocation of duty-free privileges, judicial sources said on Tuesday. Twenty of the protestors were accused of inciting an illegal gathering and of damaging public property during the riot late Sunday, while 118 others remained in custody pending a full investigation, the sources said. The port city at the mouth of the Suez Canal had been the scene of protests since last Wednesday, when customs posts outside the city began charging heavy tariffs on day-trippers leaving with items of clothing purchased in the city. The new policy was applied without warning or consultation with Port Said’s representatives, local politicians have complained. – AFP