Crowds Attack AFP Offices in Amman

2011-06-15

AMMONNEWS - A group of unidentified individuals on Wednesday evening attacked the offices of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Amman less than a day after hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated outside the news agency's office calling for its closure.

The crowd surrounded the AFP Bureau office, located near the Second Circle in Amman, threw rocks and vandalized contents of the office vicinity while AFP journalist Kamal Taha was inside.

"I was watching TV at the [AFP] office shortly after 7 PM, and suddenly rocks started hailing on the windows and office entrance," Taha told Ammon News, adding that he rushed to lock the indoors of the office, but "a number of attackers were able to get into the outside hall of the office and vandalized its contents, he added.

The attack comes less than a day after around 300 Jordanians demonstrated on Tuesday outside AFP's office, calling for its closure after the agency reported earlier that King Abdullah's motorcade was attacked with rocks and empty bottles during the king's visit to the southern governorate of Tafileh.

AFP's Bureau Chief, veteran journalist Randa Habib, received several threats since the Tafileh report was published.

AFP's team and offices were not provided with adequate security despite the threats they received, while some security officers were present near the office vicinity on Tuesday night during the crowd's protest.

AFP had reported on Tuesday that a security official told the agency on Monday that "(the rear) part of King Abdullah's motorcade was attacked with stones and empty bottles by a group of men in their 20s and 30s after the king's car entered Tafileh."

Other local and international media carried similar stories about Monday's incident.

The statement reported by AFP was denied by the palace, government and MPs from the city. AFP published the official's statements denying the reports.

Crowds on Tuesday night, which included several members of parliament headed by MP Yahya Saud, called for closing the news agency's office in Amman, and demanded that the State Security Court, a special military tribunal, try AFP's Bureau Chief and "expel her from Jordan.

Saud accused AFP Bureau Chief in Amman of "falsified claims" in her report on Monday's violence in Tafileh, which left over 25 citizens injured, with one person in critical condition after gendarme forces used excessive force to disperse the crowds.

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12409.