Jordan Protests - Game Changer - Moslem Brotherhood TRYING TO SAVE Jordan's King?

Really sad to hear this jordans king is a great person im not muslim but he shows that there are peaceful honorable muslims in the world i totally respect him he is a great leader i watched him on talk show and was amazed at his calmness very down to earth easy going

Do you really think Qatar & UAE are anywhere close to free?

Their populations are paid off, but not free...

But you're right about some of the monarchies being freer than the other Arab countries....

BUT that's not a very high standard to meet....

Which country is more free, North Korea or KSA? As a woman, I might chose North Korea....But then again....

KSA has a lot more shopping freedom...and the freedom to eat when you are hungry...

Fuck

The

Middle

East

Fuck them all...

No.

The Arab world, for the most part, are night owls. It's partly because of the climate, but also because most men work two jobs (a day job and a night job). The region doesn't function on a 9 - 5 schedule at all.

Cutting subsidies on petrol, eh? They're doing that here, on the most expensive gasoline, starting today. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

That's why I said "maybe".

Have we depleted their resources?

The blue-eyed king and beautiful queen of Jordan are facing the biggest crisis of their reign. On Tuesday night, riots and protests broke out in many of the country’s cities. Some in the crowd shouted “the people want the fall of the regime.” Others burned the monarch’s portrait. One longtime supporter of the royals even suggested privately “it’s not a question of if, but when” King Abdullah’s rule will end. That may well be an overstatement. The protests only included a few thousand people all told. But the pressures for truly major political reforms are mounting. ...

In the past, protests often focused on Queen Rania, a brilliant and beautiful woman commonly seen as a power behind the throne. ... King Abdullah, having failed to defend his prime ministers and turned on successive spymasters, did little to protect his wife’s reputation. But as she adopted a much lower profile, Abdullah’s prestige did not rise. Instead, discontent focused on the king. Now the monarch himself is increasingly alone before the people, and reliant more than ever before on foreign support.

The money Jordan’s government once received from the Gulf monarchies has grown increasingly scarce... So American support for the Hashemite monarch is more important than ever. Abdullah has promised political reforms, not least, to shore up support in Washington...

In Jordan, as in Egypt and many other Arab countries, the Muslim Brotherhood is a strong political force, and its members may be encouraging the current unrest. But the bedrock problem is economic. The financial demands on Jordan just keep growing. To maintain a vital agreement for support from the International Monetary Fund, Jordan must pare back its hugely expensive government subsidies for basic goods. But those make the difference for many Jordanians between hovering above the poverty line and sinking below it.

[link to www.thedailybeast.com]

Increase in Fuel Prices Spark Protests in Jordan

The news sparked protests in the capital, Amman, and at least 12 other cities across Jordan.

“Revolution, revolution, it is a popular revolution,” chanted about 2,000 protesters in an impromptu demonstration at a main Amman square, housing the Interior Ministry and other vital government departments.

The protesters — affiliated with Muslim, Arab nationalist, Marxist, Communist and youth opposition groups — also targeted Abdullah in a rare public display against the monarch. Criticizing the king in public is forbidden in Jordan and is punishable by up to three years in jail.

“Freedom is from God, in spite of you, Abdullah,” they shouted.

[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

Arwa Damon (@arwaCNN)
11/14/12, 2:50 PM
Covering demos in #amman #jordan stand off earlier between demonstrators and riot police, situ very tense, ppl very worried about future

Twitter reports that people are dying in Jordan...Trying to get details....

Andy Carvin (@acarvin)
11/14/12, 1:36 PM
Amman, Jordan, not Gaza. RT @_AHA: Spread the word people. We are being attacked hard. There is no damaging of property. I can confirm.

protesters under attack?

margaret (@happymargy)
11/14/12, 1:49 PM
RT“@_AHA: We are being attacked. I cant breath. We need gas masks” #Jordan

Andy Carvin (@acarvin)
11/14/12, 1:49 PM
#amman #jordan #jo RT @_AHA: We are on side streets trying to escape. If media wants to call 00962795467796

The United States' embassy in Amman issues a warning to American citizens in Jordan in light of recent protests over a massive increase in fuel prices.

After protesters and police force clashes, the embassy cautioned American citizens to steer clear of actual and possible protest sites, such as police stations and government buildings....

On Wednesday 14 November, protesters attacked a police station, leaving 14 people wounded, 10 of which were policemen. In other locations, such as Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur's home, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators.

[link to english.ahram.org.eg]

Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa)
11/14/12, 1:55 PM
Note to self and other journos. RT @_AHA: We are on side streets trying to escape. If media wants to call 00962795467796 #jordan #JoRevolt

Sounds really bad...

some tweeters are reporting that forces have opened fire on protestors & that people are dying but I do not know (trust) those sources...

It is clear that it is more than last night's protests....Tear gas is being used..

I can't confirm any of the "people are dying" tweets...

None of the tweets are coming from people I follow....

I am glad you are in safe place in Greece.... Scary everywhere...

Thnx for thoughts.
Things are getting scary indeed. :(

Everything starts with twitter as we've seen from other recent "revolutions" too. Can't find the link of a great research of a guy who discovered that thousand of the tweets from Syria were bots with different names.

This is a Tweeter I know -

Alexander Page (@AlexanderPageSY)
11/14/12, 3:39 PM
BREAKING: protesters now witnessing ferocious crackdown by central security forces just by dawar al dakhlieh #Amman #Jordan

Not sure about these..

joseph dana (@ibnezra)
11/14/12, 3:30 PM
Everything is seemingly on fire BREAKING: Security forces brutally attacking protesters just by dawar al dakhlieh in back streets #Amman

Youssef Kobo (@Youssef_Kobo)
11/14/12, 1:58 PM
Heavy clashes in #Amman between protesters and riot police. Dozens maybe hundreds injured, police firing teargas. #jordan #Jorevolt

Youssef Kobo (@Youssef_Kobo)
11/14/12, 3:52 PM
Protests in Amman, Irbid, Maan, Tafileh, Karak, Salt, Mafraq, Ramtha, Zarqa, Dhiban, Shobak, Aqaba, and Madaba. #Jordan #Jorevolt

Washington Post Story...

Security forces battled demonstrators armed with torches and in some cases firearms in a number of violent clashes across Jordan on Wednesday, as protests over rising fuel prices entered a second day.

At least 14 people were reported injured and 35 protesters were arrested during two days of scattered melees that included assaults on government buildings and the torching of cars and gas stations....

After a night of rioting across multiple cities, protesters on Wednesday set fire to police kiosks and government facilities in several southern towns as public anger continued to simmer over a government decision to eliminate fuel subsidies. Riot police fired tear gas at 200 protesters in the southern city of Karak after the group attempted to torch the regional governor’s mansion, while public buildings came under attack in the Red Sea port of Aqaba and two other towns, security officials said.

In Maan, 150 miles south of the capital, Amman, protesters armed with assault rifles stormed a government building after noon prayers, firing shots and wounding police officers who tried to block them, the officials said...

“This was not spontaneous,” said a government security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal assessments of the protests. “The Muslim Brotherhood had a plan, and they were well-organized. For them, it is a gift from heaven.”

[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

FOXNews Report on Protests -

The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan's most powerful opposition group, called the protests "a wakeup call to the king to avoid a replica of the violence in Egypt and Tunisia."

"The street is seething with anger and an explosion is coming," Zaki Bani Irsheid said. "We want to create a Jordanian Spring with a local flavor — meaning reforms in the system while keeping our protests peaceful."

The Brotherhood, which has spearheaded the protest movement in the past, has harnessed anger over the price hikes to form a loose — and temporary — alliance with Arab nationalists, Marxist and Communist groups. The umbrella recently has expanded to include the militant Salafis and the largely secular protest movement, known as Hirak composed primarily of young people.

Read more: [link to www.foxnews.com]

Alexander Page (@AlexanderPageSY)
11/14/12, 4:15 PM
BREAKING: we are now in front of a large complex which the protesters are trying to get into, many injured, no aid, lots of tear gas #amman

Alexander Page (@AlexanderPageSY)
11/14/12, 3:45 PM
We are walking through back streets seeing many individual attacks on any passers by intelligence are suspicious of #Amman #Jordan

weddady (@weddady)
11/14/12, 5:25 PM

Two dead tonight in Jordan, this is NOT good at all!

This tweet was later retracted...Only one dead & there is also a critically injured policeman...

Youssef Kobo (@Youssef_Kobo)
11/14/12, 6:29 PM
Rumours that #Jordan is deploying the national army. #Jorevolt

Alexander Page (@AlexanderPageSY)
11/14/12, 5:10 PM
BREAKING: military vehicles are now arriving while protesters set tyres on fire just by regency hotel #Amman #Jordan

In Amman, around 500 demonstrators clashed with anti-riot police and hurled stones at them after they were prevented from holding a sit-in near the interior ministry on Gamal Abdel Nasser Circle.

They set tyres and garbage containers ablaze and tried to block the main road between there and nearby Firas Circle in Jabal Hussein neighbourhood, but police prevented them and fired tear gas, an AFP journalist reported.

"Jabal Hussein is a popular shopping area. Now all shops are closed. It has turned into a ghost town," a resident told AFP.

Violent demonstrations broke out across the rest of the country as well, hitting all 12 of Jordan's governorates, police said.

Protesters burned tyres to block traffic, torched police and private cars and at least 20 government offices, including court buildings. Police said at least 120 people were arrested nationwide.

[link to www.aljazeera.com]

AFP Report on Death/Injury

A "gunman" was killed early Thursday and 12 Jordanian policemen were wounded after their station came under attack in the north amid a wave of angry protests across the country over a huge rise in fuel prices.

"Twelve policemen were injured when a group of gunmen attacked a police station in Irbid. One of the gunmen died in a shootout, while four others were wounded," said a police statement carried by state-run Petra news agency...

The statement said that in a separate attack in Shafa Badran, near Amman, "gunmen, using automatic weapons, shot and injured a policeman, directly hitting one of his eyes. He is in a critical condition."

[link to uk.news.yahoo.com]

video from protests...

NY Times Article...

The demonstrations were the most aggressive in this politically fragile and strategically critical ally of the United States in the past two years, particularly outside the capital, where many protesters shouted slogans against King Abdullah II that previously would only have been whispered. Teachers went on strike, and other unions announced a two-hour work stoppage for Sunday. The crowds included first-time protesters and tribal members who have been the king’s political base.

[link to www.nytimes.com]

Video From Today...

Jordanians calling on the King to step down...

Breaking: Thousands of angry Jordanians call for king to go

Thousands of demonstrators in Amman made unprecedented calls on Friday for Jordanian King Abdullah II to go, as police blocked them from heading to the royal palace to vent their anger over sharp hikes in fuel prices.


"The people want to reform the regime. Freedom, freedom, down with Abdullah. God is greater than injustice. Freedom is from God. Abdullah your era is gone," chanted what AFP estimated at more than 10,000 people, including Islamists, leftists and youth groups.

[link to english.ahram.org.eg]

Note - Ahram is the newspaper of the Egyptian gov't....

Jordan Anatomy of a Political Mess...

Since coming to the throne of Jordan in 1999, King Abdullah "has not been able to find the right combination of ministers, MPs, and domestic sentiment to overhaul Jordan's political system," US ambassador Stephen Beecroft wrote in a diplomatic cable three years ago. Little has changed since then.

At the time of the ambassador's memo, King Abdullah had just sacked and replaced his prime minister amid the usual bold talk of reform and in preparation for new elections to parliament. In Jordan, that is something that happens with alarming regularity.

Three years and four prime ministers later, it's a similar story today. Jordan has a new government and elections are little more than two months away. The difference this time is that there are riots on the streets and much of the country is up in arms (metaphorically speaking) about the economic austerity package....

Read more - [link to www.al-bab.com]