The police of Algeria were firing water cannon at protesters in the capital of the country as tensions mount on the eighth week of protests against the authorities, Associated Press reported.

As it was noted, the protest movement was completely peaceful, but the police were out in larger than usual numbers.

The correspondent of AP noted that the police were spraying water repeatedly on a huge crowd on Didouche Mourad Street in Algiers, on the route toward the central post office that has become a symbol of the movement.

It was unclear what made the police use force.

The street was filled with demonstrators waving Algerian flags. Protesters shouted “Authorities - Assassins!” and surrounded the water cannon truck, with some appearing to hit it.

It should be noted that Algeria’s lawmakers on Tuesday appointed the upper house chairman Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president following the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika after weeks of mass protests against his rule.

Bouteflika faced a growing public opposition after he announced that he was dropping plans for a fifth term in February. 

Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been Algeria's President since 1999. Bouteflika has rarely been seen in public and confined to a wheelchair since a 2013 stroke.