Incident

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Incident

Several injured as demonstrators clash in Jordan

25 March 2011 23:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Demonstrations turned violent in Amman, Jordan, Friday as government loyalists clashed with protesters who are pushing for reforms, APA reports quoting CNN.
Several demonstrators were injured after they were hit with rocks and sticks, protest organizers said.
Government opponents and supporters chanted dueling slogans while police stood by, one organizer said. But officials say police tried to separate the two groups and were initially overwhelmed before they later regained control of the situation.
Several thousand protesters voiced their discontent with the government. The number included young people, writers, artists and communists as well as "normal and independent people," said Toleen Tauq, one of the demonstration organizers. She described several waves of stone-throwing incidents.
The state-run Petra news agency reported that several hundred young people demonstrated, carrying placards stating "The people want reform" and "We want to live in dignity and freedom."
"Since this wave of protesters has swept across our region, we’ve had protests every Friday," said Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. "I think police were caught in between" the two groups, causing several officers to be injured.
"Things have gotten a little out of hand," he added. "But we have a leadership that initiates reform."
Many protesters advocate a constitutional monarchy and less power for the king; they also are angry about corruption and the privatization of some services, among other concerns, Tauq said.
The protesters also want independent judges; they argue that the country’s intelligence service exerts undue influence over the judicial system, said Mohannad Al-Safeen, another protest organizer.
Jordan’s economy has been hit hard by the global economic downturn and rising commodity prices, and youth unemployment is high, as it is in Egypt, where demonstrations toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
Officials close to the palace told CNN that King Abdullah II is trying to turn a regional upheaval into an opportunity for reform. He swore in a new government following anti-government protests.
The new administration has a mandate for political reform and is headed by a former general, with opposition and media figures among its ranks.