Thousands of Jordanians have marched through the streets of Amman today demanding Prime Minister Samir Rifai to resign. In Egypt, some police officers started to disobey orders to attack protesters, according to Al-Arabiya.
Demonstrations ripple through Egypt and Jordan
(Los Angeles Times) — Thousands of people took to the streets of the Jordanian capital to protest against the government. According to the Associated Press, around 3,500 people from across the political spectrum marched in Amman, Jordan demanding that Prime Minister Samir Rifai resigns and voiced their anger at unemployment and high commodity prices.
“Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians,” the news agency quoted protesters as chanting.
Agence France-Presse reported that the demonstrators also chanted slogans in solidarity with Egyptian demonstrators, calling on them to oust Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power.
“Egypt, the Arab nation salutes you. We urge your men to get rid of (President Hosni) Mubarak,” they chanted while waving national flags according to the news agency.
There were also reports about 2,000 demonstrators gathering in the Jordanian cities of Irbid and Karak in similar rallies.
The protests come two days after the country’s ruler, King Abdullah II, called for more political and economic reforms following weeks of what appears to be escalating protests against government policies in the desert kingdom.
Pan-Arab news network Al-Arabiya is reporting that some Egyptian policemen are refusing to obey orders to clamp down on the protesters and that some police men have defected and joined the demonstrators.
The Egyptian authorities imposed a near complete web and information lockdown on the country earlier in the day. People in Cairo told Babylon & Beyond that mobile phone and Internet networks have been suspended.
U.S. officials, who quickly condemned the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown on dissidents opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, were noticeably tight-lipped about their staunch ally Mubarak’s rigid clampdown on civil liberties.
– Alexandra Sandels in Beirut
3 thoughts on “Jordanians join the revolution against tyrants – AP”
As an Israeli citizen I am very happy the demand for democratic and accountable gov’ts is surfacing throughout the region.Finally we will have regimes sharing the same values as we have it in democracies.The best guarantee for a lasting peace.
Moamo who are you kidding? These arabs are cancer to every body. The more fragmented they it is better for the world at large. Egyptians neve consider themselves African. Any opposition who wants to destroy the Ethiopian nation had to get the blessing of this mulah. Specially egypt saudi and the other little arab countries were active to dismantil Ethiopia. Our brothers sister, mothers and fathers and the whole population paid the price. Sir I care less for these mahamod’s art work.
Certainly, the Tunis need to be praised for being leaders in this wave of peoples uprising in N.Africa and the Middle East. I think too we need to remember the men and women who leaked massive unclassified data how business is being conducted among diplomatic circles.
When the leaked news implicates government after government, such as, the double standard of the Saudi Royals, corruption in Tunisa.Then the concept of change is becoming contagion through out the region. We might as well give due respect for both Wiki leak and the Tunis for taking the concept and Appling it.