"Hundreds of Jordanians seeking reforms protest US involvement in struggle" July 23, 2011|Associated Press
AMMAN, Jordan - Scores of Jordanian protesters demanding democratic changes from their king burned a US flag yesterday, denouncing what they called attempts by Washington to interfere in the reform movement.
About 300 protesters, mostly leftists and nationalists, chanted “America is the head of the snake’’ as the flag burned at the protest in the capital city of Amman.
It was a rare burst of anti-US sentiment in the proreform movement that has been holding rallies for months in Jordan, though at a smaller scale than the protests that shook Egypt, Tunisia, and other Arab nations.
Protesters accused the United States of trying to co-opt their movement.
We have done it before.
They pointed to efforts by US diplomats to meet and advise prodemocracy activists and to comments by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praising reform efforts by Jordan, whose king is a close ally of Washington.
That's why CIA is not behind this one.
“We don’t need Washington’s help and we don’t take orders from you,’’ said 28-year-old activist Mohannad Safiin.
“These are our protests. Keep out of our business. For years, the US government supported these same Arab regimes which have killed our own people.’’
Yesterday’s numbers were small compared with the hundreds and even thousands participating in six months of mainly peaceful protests here demanding greater political say, lower food prices, and new parliamentary elections....
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Related:
"Jordanian authorities detained four police officers on suspicion of using excessive force against protesters and journalists in a prodemocracy sit-in, a police spokesman said.
Police swinging clubs clashed Friday with dozens of demonstrators trying to set up an open-ended protest camp in a central square in Jordan’s capital of Amman. At least 15 people were injured in the confrontation, which was the most violent since March.
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"Jordan’s Parliament passed a law allowing the formation of the country’s first teachers union, meeting a demand of proreform activists.
The union will make it easier for Jordan’s roughly 61,000 teachers to negotiate higher salaries and pensions. The government has been reluctant to license the union but bowed to pressure after months of street protests.
That is what it takes.
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