TFLE01: DEMONSTRATION LEADS TO SCUFFLE, ARRESTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005963 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV ASEC IS LE JO SUBJECT: TFLE01: DEMONSTRATION LEADS TO SCUFFLE, ARRESTS REF: A) AMMAN 5529 B) AMMAN 5745 C) AMMAN 5775 Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. ( SBU ) Media and security contacts report that an unlicensed protest after Friday prayers August 4 at an Amman mosque led to sparring that left two police and two protesters hospitalized with minor injuries. Police detained 10 protesters, all of whom were released on bail after a few hours. The demonstrators, who numbered about 200, left the large Al-Kaluti Mosque in the Al-Rabiya neighborhood of Amman after prayer and attempted to march to the nearby Israeli Embassy. They blocked traffic and chanted denunciations of Israel, and of U.S. and GOJ policy. An official spokesman for the Public Security Directorate (PSD) told media that officers were "assaulted" and that the police responded by forcing the crowd to disperse. Islamist spokesmen told media that the police beat marchers without provocation. ¶2. ( SBU ) Other, smaller unauthorized demonstrations took place August 4 after prayers at a number of locations throughout Jordan, and were reportedly dispersed without violence. About 100 were dispersed outside Al-Husseini, Amman's principal mosque. Police dispersed fifty who tried to rally outside Al-Noor mosque in the Wehdat area of Amman. On Saturday, August 5, police received word that an unlicensed rally would convene at the upscale Abdoun Mall near Embassy Amman. Police contacts report several dozen people turned up, but made no attempt to rally, probably because of the heavy police presence. ¶3. ( SBU ) In an opinion article in "Al-Arab Al-Yawm" (a sensationalist, widely-read, anti-U.S. daily),Fahd Al-Khitan questioned how long the Israeli and U.S. embassies would remain off-limits to demonstrations. Al-Khitan appealed to the GOJ to allow "Jordanians to express their anger" and thereby convey the "embarrassment (the U.S.) has caused its friends in the region." ¶4. ( C ) Comment: Larger, licensed demonstrations are frequent but remain orderly. As the Israeli-Hizballah fighting continues, we expect more small, spontaneous demonstrations like the one outside Kaluti Mosque. End Comment. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale