Reform movements cancel protest at intelligence agency after disagreements
16-05-2013 05:03 PM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Three pro-reform movements announced on Thursday canceling a protest they called for earlier to be held at the General Intelligence Department (GID) on Thursday.
The movements, the Islamist Youth, Free Tafileh, and Jerash Coalition movements issued a statement on Thursday announcing postponing the event after "the call bore its results before the protest was even held."
The Islamist Youth Movement, an offshoot of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, had called for a demonstration on Thursday to protest the "negative role of the agency in political and civil life in Jordan," according to its expression, aimed to "expose its role in protecting and facilitating corruption, squandering national resources, wagering Jordan's national sovereignty, and inciting strife between segments of society."
The protest aimed to call on the Intelligence department, dubbed "Mukhabarat," to return to its ultimate role in protecting the country and its citizens rather than meddle in political, social, and educational affairs of the kingdom.
The call to protest the Mukhabarat exposed major disagreements between various pro-reform movements in Jordan, with several movements denouncing the intended protest and questioning its timing.
"We decided not to hold the event today and postpone it according to the wishes of a number of free pro-reform youth and populist movements," the statement, signed by the three activist movements partaking in the protest said.
In a strongly-worded statement, the movements however stressed that they will "continue in exposing the negative role of the agency and call on it to return to its national role."
The statement blasted what it considered a "campaign to smear the organizers of the event," as a measure taken by the regime and its intelligence agencies to taint and defame reform activists.
"We stress here that the General Intelligence Department is the agency responsible for stirring discrimination and geo-demographic strife," the statement said.
The reform movements remarked its recognition of the role of security agencies and the military in protecting the kingdom, and called on the "Mukhabarat" to focus on its ultimate role.
Activists stressed that their efforts will not be hindered by supposed threats and pressures to contain the pro-reform movement in Jordan.