Police Officer Killed Amid Protests in Jordan

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • The deputy police chief of Jordon's Maan province, Colonel Abdul Razzaq Dalabeh, was fatally shot in the head by an unidentified assailant on Thursday as he was reportedly trying to "calm down riots" after protests over high fuel prices turned violent in the southern town of Al Husseiniya.
  • King Abdullah II extended his condolences to Dalabeh's family as the government vowed to take "tough steps" and redeploy more anti-riot police to quell the unrest.
  • Jordanians continued their protests on Friday, staging sit-ins and seeking cuts in diesel prices, which they claim have substantially increased their cost of living. However, police argue they are "dealing with rioting by a group of outlaws."
  • Elsewhere, the government temporarily banned the social media platform TikTok for allegedly "inciting violence."
  • Post-COVID inflation and economic consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war have sent fuel prices soaring in Jordan, particularly diesel used by trucks and kerosene used by poor communities.
  • Tensions have been mounting in Maan and several other cities following strikes by truckers protesting the high fuel prices. The government has pledged to consider the truckers' requests but says there's little they can do without breaching a deal with the International Monetary Fund.

Sources: Dawn, Al Jazeera, Arab News, Global, Middle East Ey, and Jerusalem Post.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Arab News. While the demonstrators' concerns are legitimate, violence isn't the answer, and these types of attacks must be quelled. Subsidizing fuel prices is no longer feasible due to the government's commitment to the International Monetary Fund, yet authorities have still promised to look into the protester's demands, which they should be left to do without having to deal with the ongoing riots.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Media Line. How else do you expect the poor to demand change? Worsening living standards, rising unemployment, and devastating poverty have brought this unrest. If the government fails to meet the protestors' just demands, Jordan's economic woes could spark a fresh social upheaval in the kingdom.