Protesters Come Up Empty in Jordan
AMMAN, Jordan — A wave of demonstrations against King Abdullah II set off by an increase in fuel prices appeared to reach its peak on Friday without having won any concessions from the monarchy.
Several thousand protesters gathered Friday in a central square of Amman, the capital, to chant slogans calling for the king’s ouster, a demand that just three weeks ago organizers had deemed far too controversial and legally risky under Jordan’s strict sedition laws.
“Qaddafi, Ben Ali and Mubarak all left,” the crowd chanted, referring to the former leaders of Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. “Abdullah, go, go.”
Protests similar to those in Amman took place in cities and towns around the country, as well as at the funeral for a young man shot by the police after a demonstration on Tuesday night.
Since the end of World War I, Jordan’s monarchy has been an island of relative stability in the perpetually stormy Middle East, and King Abdullah may be Washington’s closest Arab ally in the region. As a pivotal buffer between Iraq, Syria and Israel, Jordan is the only other Arab state besides Egypt to recognize Israel. It also relies heavily on American foreign aid. This week’s demonstrations have been the sharpest challenge to the king’s rule since the start of the Arab Spring revolts.
But the crowd in Amman, which appeared to be largely middle class and led by organizers from the secular opposition, was still palpably more timid than the mobs that ultimately brought down other Arab autocrats.
Some demonstrators debated their own goals, wondering whether they should aim for lower fuel prices, a crackdown on corruption or, as the chanters demanded, the king’s abdication. Many in the crowd displayed a fear of the security forces, a crucial barrier that was overcome in the other Arab revolts. The arrival of a few hundred riot police officers almost provoked a stampede from the crowd, even though the police never advanced.
Calls from a protest leader to demonstrate fearlessness by clapping did little to dispel the sense of anxiety; the leaders broke up the demonstration a few moments later, after only about two hours.
Speakers urged demonstrators to regroup outside the headquarters of the Interior Ministry after dark, a classic opening gambit in the revolutionary playbook.
But before the evening rally was set to begin, rows of hundreds of heavily armed riot police officers swept through the street and chased away any would-be demonstrators. A parade of a half-dozen armored personnel carriers followed down the street, and hundreds of others deployed at crucial locations kept the capital locked down.
Despite the fizzled protests, organizers vowed to fight on, emphasizing what many said was the unprecedented turn from narrow demands for specific reforms to a broader assault on the privilege of the monarchy. And there were signs of growing boldness among Jordanians.
“I know the intelligence agencies have cameras taking our pictures,” said Emad Masamreh, 39, a store owner. “When I use my phone, there is somebody listening, I know.”
“But for 22 months I have been waiting to come down here,” Mr. Masamreh said, alluding to the flight of Tunisia’s dictator in January 2011 at the beginning of the Arab Spring. “We have to get rid of these thieves. We have to change the whole system.” NYT