42 Jordan security officers injured in anti-government protests

Forty-two members of Jordan’s security forces were injured during protests calling for the government to step down and for a new income tax bill to be repealed, the head of public security said yesterday.

The majority of those injured were shot, Major General Fadel Al-Hamoud revealed.

Sixty protesters who attacked public and private property were also arresting, he added, while some were found to be carrying blades, knives and other sharp weapons.

However Gendarmerie Director, Nayef Hawatmeh, said that “everything is under control, and the Jordanians cannot cause harm to their country.”

Read: Jordan unions press on demands to scrap tax law after protests

Hawatmeh added that there are irresponsible groups that have deviated from the means of peaceful expression, resorted to violence, attacked property, and carried out acts of vandalism and the targeting of gendarmerie and security forces.

He stressed that the security services are disciplined, respect citizens’ rights, and safeguard their dignity.