Truck drivers strike
The Jordanian authorities have suspended the social networking application TikTok from operating throughout the Kingdom.
The Public Security Directorate said, in a statement on its Facebook page, that the Cybercrime Unit decided to “temporarily stop the TikTok platform from operating within the Kingdom, after misusing it and not dealing with publications that incite violence and calls for chaos.”
A number of Internet users and activists on social media reported that Internet services are operating slowly in many regions of the Kingdom.
This comes in light of the turmoil in many southern cities, and protests against the rise in fuel prices.
The Cybercrime Unit announced, “The unit and the cybercrime teams are following up on what is published on social media, especially with regard to hate speech, incitement to vandalism, assaults on law enforcement agencies, property, and roadblocks.”
Many saw that the move comes to stop sharing reports about the turmoil in the country.
“The TikTok platform has published a large number of videos that incite murder and chaos,” said Minister of Government Communication and official spokesperson for the government, Faisal Al-Shboul, in a press conference.
Jordanians organized sit-ins on Friday, and activists demanded more demonstrations to protest the rise in fuel prices, which added difficulties to the cost of living in the kingdom.
Truck drivers have been on strike for the past 11 days in a number of southern cities, to protest the rise in fuel prices. Meanwhile, a number of netizens shared pictures and videos indicating riots and burning tires in Ma’an Governorate, south of the capital.
This comes a day after the deputy police chief of Ma’an Governorate, Colonel Abdel-Razzaq Al-Dalabeh, was killed by a bullet in the head, according to the police statement, in addition to the injury of two officers in clashes with angry demonstrators in the governorate.
image copyright AFP
During the funeral of Colonel Abd al-Razzaq al-Dalabeh
Over the course of Thursday night, riot police chased away dozens of stone-throwing youths in Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and other cities.
On Friday, a cautious calm prevailed in the streets, despite the continuation of sporadic demonstrations with the organization of a sit-in in front of the Great Mosque in Ma’an Governorate, and in front of a mosque in the capital, Amman, after Friday prayers, as activists called for more demonstrations.
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya vowed to take strict measures against those he described as rioters.
The Jordanian government promised to examine the demands of the strikers, but at the same time it says that it has pumped more than 500 million dinars ($700 million) to stem the rise in fuel prices this year, and that it cannot do more than that without violating the terms of the International Monetary Fund deal.
Jordan’s demonstrations have been peaceful in the past, and have included demands for democratic reforms and calls to combat corruption.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II condemned the attack on Friday.
A statement issued by the royal court quoted the king as saying, while offering condolences to the family and clan of the slain officer in Jerash Governorate, “This is my son and the son of all Jordanians, and we will not rest until the criminal receives his punishment before justice for his heinous crime.”
He referred to “the difficult economic conditions that citizens are going through, and their right to express their opinion by peaceful means within the law.”
image copyright AFP
On Friday, the notables and sons of Ma’an issued a statement mourning Colonel Al-Dalabeh, stressing their “rejection and condemnation of any act outside the law.”
In Ma’an, an AFP reporter saw armored vehicles and police vehicles in the main streets of the city, and traces of burnt tires and stones in Al-Husseiniya, where the accident took place. There was calm everywhere.
There was talk several times about an agreement with the government to end the strike. However, it seems that a statement by Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh a few days ago, in which he said that “the government does not have the luxury of subsidizing fuel,” provoked the protesters.
Fuel prices are nearly double what they were last year, especially diesel, which is the main fuel for trucks and buses, and kerosene, which is the main heating fuel for the poor.
The government offered some solutions, including increasing freight rates and distributing sums of money to support the most affected families, but it seems that they were not sufficiently satisfactory to the strikers.
The war in Ukraine also played a major role in the rise in global fuel prices.
Jordan suffers from difficult economic conditions, exacerbated by debts that exceeded 50 billion dollars, and the Covid pandemic. Unemployment rates rose in 2021 to about 25 percent, according to official figures, while among young people it rose to 50 percent.
The kingdom’s economy relies heavily on aid, especially from the United States, the European Union and the Gulf states, according to AFP.
Last month, Oman and Washington signed an agreement under which Washington would provide Oman with a $845 million grant to support the public budget.
In September, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding according to which Washington will provide total aid during the period (2023-2029) at a value of $10.15 billion, at an annual rate of $1.45 billion, starting in 2023.
And the Elysee Palace announced earlier this month that a regional summit would be held in Jordan “before the end of the year,” bringing together Iraq and neighboring countries, with the participation of France, similar to the Baghdad conference in August 2021.