The streets of the Algerian capital have turned into a mass of green, white and red as merchants hawking flags cash in on huge rallies against the enduring rule of their ailing president. The rallies are "a blessing from heaven", said Fuad, a vendor in his 40s. "Lets hope it lasts." On Friday, at the biggest protest to date since President Abdelaziz Bouteflika last month announced his re-election bid, he sold over 300 flags, reported AFP. He made more than he would normally earn in a month, selling flags outside football stadiums. Amid the crowds, a girl wearing a scarf in the national colors of white, green and red pleaded with her father -- who already had a flag -- to buy her one too. "Today, its a day of celebration. A day for freedom, I want my daughter to remember it later," said the father in his 50s, declining to give his name. As well as flags priced at 500 dinars ($4.20), Fuad sells scarves and bunting for 200 dinars, and wristbands for 150, all in the national colors. During the week he sells fruit and vegetables on the street, although hes often moved on by the police. Fuad is one of a number of Algerians to turn their attention to the protests, which began on February 22 and have since swelled and spread across the country. Issam and Mohamed, both 22, boasted they sold 150 flags in just one hour. Making a profit of 50 dinars on each sale amounts to a significant sum in Algeria, where the average month salary is around $670. With a third of under-30s unemployed, many of the vendors are young. Nasredinne, Hassan and Mohamed, friends all aged around 20, collected flags from a youth association which makes them. After paying the association, they each earned around 5,000 dinars on Friday. "This flag, its the property of the people... so we show it and wear it to tell them that its the people who will decide," said Fatma, a 78-year-old former fighter in Algerias independence war. From the moment the vendor appeared, crowds gathered round, with protesters often wrapping the flags around their bodies. In a show of solidarity with the demonstrators, residents along the protest route draped their countrys flag from the balconies. Siham, a 32-year-old who works for a multinational, said she became a "compulsive buyer" of the Algerian flag stamped with a red crescent and star. "These days, theres no better present than a national flag."