BEIJING (AP) _The class boycott by Beijing university students demanding democracy has spread to the nearby city of Tianjin despite heavy pressure from local authorities, students in Tianjin said Sunday.

They also said about 10,000 students from Tianjin University and Nankai University held a protest march Friday in the port city to show support for Beijing students who marched the previous day.

The Beijing march, in which 150,000 students and ordinary citizens joined, was the biggest protest in 40 years of communist rule. It capped nearly two weeks of demonstrations by students calling for a free press and protection of human rights.

About 70,000 Beijing students have been boycotting class for a week.

So far, most of the protest activity has been limited to the capital, although smaller marches have been reported in several other cities. Tianjin, 68 miles east of Beijing, is the only other city where a large-scale class boycott has been reported.

A Tianjin University activist said the boycott began April 24, the same day as in Beijing, and that 90 percent of Nankai students and 70 percent of Tianjin University students were taking part.

He said students marched peacefully through the city Friday but did not demonstrate outside government offices.

The mayor of Tianjin, Li Ruihuan, is among officials who have been criticized by students in Beijing for allegedly having gotten his job through nepotism. Li is the son-in-law of Wan Li, the chairman of the National People’s Congress.