Thousands of mourners have turned out in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa for the funerals of anti-government protesters shot dead on Friday. Snipers loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh sprayed a university sit-in with gunfire, killing as as many as 50 demonstrators. The protesters want him to resign after 32 years in power. The killings prompted Saleh to declare a state of emergency and soldiers have been given orders to shoot demonstrators. Yet the opposition remain defiant. Former government minister Haoumd al-Hattar told the crowd that “threats, intimidation and repression would only reinforce their persistence.” An estimated 300 people were injured in Friday’s violence. A group of Muslim clerics have called on Yemeni security forces to disobey Saleh’s orders to shoot demonstrators, blaming him for the slaughter.