Cairo  - Around 1000 Bedouin in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula participated in the second day of a growing protest on Wednesday, calling on police to release 14 of their members, security forces said.

Angry protestors in Mahdyia village, near Egypt's border crossing into Gaza at Rafah, collaborated with Bedouin from nearby villages, burning car tires and chanting slogans in support of the detainees, whom they said had been held without due cause.

The demonstrators also blocked the Rafah-Gaza border-crossing road.

According to Bedouin, Egyptian police routinely harass and discriminate against their members in Sinai.

Egyptian security forces blame Bedouin for planting bombs in 2004 and 2006 in Sinai holiday resorts which killed dozens of tourists.

Bedouin protestors are threatening to breach the Israel-Egypt border if the police do not free their detainees. (dpa)