Jordan witnessed the killing of an officer and the injury of 49 security men in protests against the increase in the prices of oil derivatives
A cautious calm prevails in the governorates of Jordan, after an officer was killed and 49 injured Others, against the background of the protests that have taken place in the country since the beginning of this month, to demand a reduction in fuel prices.
And through the hashtags #dignity_strike and #retribution_from_the_vandals, the opinions of Jordanians about these demonstrations varied between support, condemnation and warning.
What are the dimensions of the crisis and how did the pioneers of social networking sites in the country interact with it?
How did the crisis start?
In recent years, the Jordanian street witnessed many protests, most of which revolved around the prices of oil derivatives, which rose by about 16 times in two years.
In november In the past, the Petroleum Derivatives Pricing Committee in Jordan raised prices by 40-46%, as the price of a liter of diesel reached 895 fils ($1.26) in December. Current, compared to 615 fils ($0.87) During the same month of 2021 .
The move angered Jordanian parliamentarians, who accused the government of not caring for the basic needs of citizens, which prompted the Jordanian Prime Minister, Bisher Al-Khasawneh, to break his silence and assert that the state’s public treasury ‘You do not have the luxury of fuel subsidies, as happened last year ‘.
However, the rise in fuel prices this time seemed harsh to a large segment of middle-income earners, so a number of truck drivers decided to organize repeated strikes, then taxi and public bus owners joined them.
The strike extended to include a number of shops that closed their doors in solidarity with the protest of truck drivers in governorates such as Ma’an, Karak and Madaba. They are governorates located south of the capital, Amman.
How is this reflected on social media?
Over the past days, activists on social media have circulated pictures and clips that reflect the size of the strikes, and a group of hashtags have spread indicating the escalation of the situation in Jordan, the most important of which are “#civil_disobedience”, “#dignity_strike”.
One of the circulating clips showed many truck drivers gathering on the roads and their refusal to transfer the goods.
However, the strike caused a state of complete paralysis and the accumulation of goods, especially in the main port of Aqaba overlooking the Red Sea.
As a result, supplies of basic commodities to the markets were interrupted, according to what media professionals and Twitter users said.
And by hashtag “#public_transport strike”, tweeters expressed their solidarity with the truck drivers and circulated “tribal and labor statements” waving escalation if the government did not respond to their demands.
However, others denounced those strikes and warned of an exacerbation of the situation, especially after matters developed, on Thursday, to close major roads with burning tires.
Soon, things escalated into riots and clashes with the police in many areas, which led to the death of an officer and the injury of others.
The Jordanian authorities announced the killing of the deputy police chief of Ma’an Governorate, Abd al-Razzaq al-Dalabeh, after he was shot, adding that he was dealing with riots carried out by “a group of vandals and outlaws.”
Grief over the killing of Dalabeh
The killing of the policeman sparked widespread public and governmental anger, as many media professionals, citizens, and politicians mourned him across the street. Social Media.
Despite the divergent positions of Jordanian commentators regarding the strikes, they were unanimous in condemning violence and stressing their rejection and denunciation of any act outside the law.
The reactions were not limited to popular circles, but included members of the Bani Hassan clan, the tribe to which the murdered policeman belonged.
The tribe had gathered earlier on Friday ‘Not to receive any official body representing the government, until the identity of the killer is known ‘According to what was reported by the private Jordanian Roya TV website.
The apparent change in the course of the recent protests also required prompt intervention from the Jordanian Royal Court.
While offering his condolences for the death of the Ma’an police chief, the King of Jordan, Abdullah, appeared in military uniform, threatening “anyone who takes up arms against the state and assaults its public property.”
“turning point”
These developments and statements sparked different readings.
Commentators see the killing of Dalabeh as a “turning point” in the course of the protests in the country.
Anyone who follows the Jordanian issue will notice that the kingdom has witnessed many strikes and demonstrations over the years, but “most of them were limited to slogans and limited sit-ins and did not reach the point of closing important main roads or using weapons,” according to commentators.
While some are sounding the alarm and calling for urgent government intervention, accusing external parties of fueling the situation, others describe the protests as “an internal issue that came as a result of the government’s disregard of citizens’ demands.”
As for the Jordanian government, it announced that it would take strict steps and deploy more riot police to “confront those who want to drag the country into bloody confrontations.”
“Blocking Tik Tok” between ridicule and support
In an attempt to contain the crisis, the Electronic Crimes Unit of the Jordanian Public Security Directorate announced the temporary suspension of the “Tik Tok” application due to its “misuse.” The Directorate said that the platform did not deal with publications that incite violence, and allowed the promotion of videos from outside Jordan to influence the feelings of citizens. .
As a result, the tweeters were divided between a supporter of the blocking decision and another mocking the government.
Those who objected to the decision saw it as evidence of the continuation of the “blackout mentality”. Some called for the dismissal of the government of Bishr al-Khasawneh, accusing it of trying to silence mouths.
On the other hand, others defended the decision to block the TikTok application and considered it a good solution for “preserving civil peace.”
Others also praised the decisions taken by the government to meet some of the truck owners’ demands. The government had pledged last Wednesday to increase aid amounts and to postpone the payment of loans owed by truck owners.
However, those pledges, which were rejoiced by some, were considered by others as “merely insufficient sedatives and an attempt to circumvent the demonstrators’ basic demands of lowering fuel prices.”
Jordan is suffering from difficult economic conditions, exacerbated by foreign debts of more than fifty billion dollars and the COVID-19 pandemic. It was exacerbated by the Russian war on Ukraine and the rise in oil prices.