Scores Hurt in Jordan as Rival Protesters Clash

[TomClash]

Source: NYT via AP

Scores Hurt in Jordan as Rival Protesters Clash
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 25, 2011 at 12:31 PM ET

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Scores of people were injured Friday as Jordanian protesters demanding reforms clashed with government supporters, pelting each other with stones, as unrest intensified in this key U.S. ally.

Police fired water cannons to disperse the crowd, then hundreds of riot police, some wearing masks, stormed the area, hitting anti-government demonstrators with batons and dragging at least a dozen into a nearby government building.

The clashes were the most violent in more than two months of protests inspired by the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Unlike protests in those countries, which toppled longtime rulers, Jordan's protests have not targeted King Abdullah II, instead calling for greater political participation in the kingdom's affairs.

Friday's violence started when about 400 government supporters attacked some 1,500 demonstrators calling for the dissolution of parliament and the firing of the country's prime minister.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/03/25/world/middleeast/AP-ML-Jordan-Protests.html?hp

[Turborama]

1. One dead, scores hurt in Jordanian clashes

One man beaten to death and 100 injured as protesters clash with riot police and loyalists in the capital, Amman.
Last Modified: Mar 25 2011 17:44

One person has been killed after being beaten to death by riot police and pro-government loyalists in the Jordanian capital of Amman, Al Jazeera has learned.

More than 100 people, including policemen, were injured in the clashes. "Two of the injured are in critical condition," a medical source at the scene said.

Anti-riot police also broke up a protest camp for students and arrested several of them, a security official told AFP news agency.

The clashes erupted after around 200 government supporters hurled large stones at more than 2,000 young demonstrators from different movements calling for reforms to the current leadership and more efforts to fight corruption, an AFP journalist reported.

Full article: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132517059876641.html

[Turborama]

2. Update: Two dead, scores hurt in Jordanian clashes

Two killed and 100 injured in clashes in Amman as kingdom's prime minister warns of chaos and consequences.
Last Modified: 25 Mar 2011 22:55

Two persons are reported to have been killed after being beaten to death by riot police and pro-government loyalists in the Jordanian capital of Amman, Al Jazeera has learned.

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"Our gathering is peaceful, but this did not prevent the attacks," demonstrators said.

"Does the king agree with such actions? We are Jordanians and we have the right to express ourselves," said Reda Darwish, aged 20.

"We as young Jordanians, and as a whole nation, are fed up to see our demands ignored by the government and official institutions of this country," youth activist Moadh Khawaldeh told Al Jazeera.

Full article: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132517059876641.html