Authorities fence popular spot for demos near Interior Ministry Circle

AMMAN — An empty plot of land close to a hotel in Amman near the Interior Ministry Circle has been fenced “for security reasons”, under orders by Amman Governor Khaled Abu Zeid.

“We don’t have a problem with anybody, but we did that for security reasons,” Abu Zeid told The Jordan Times on Monday. 

The location is a popular spot for holding demonstrations and public gatherings. 

In October, a rally scheduled to be held by the public committee for supporting Al Aqsa Mosque in that area was cancelled by the governor.  

That was the last scheduled event the area was supposed to witness. 

A plot of land close to Kalouti Mosque in the capital’s Rabiah neighbourhood was also fenced recently “to ensure public safety”, under orders by the governor.

Abu Zeid said at the time that the decision was taken because weekly protests held in the empty lot were becoming a public nuisance for area residents. “We decided to take this step in order to ensure that there will be no clashes between area residents and protesters,” the governor said in previous remarks to The Jordan Times.

Anti-normalisation activists used to hold protests at the location because it is close to the Israeli embassy.

Abu Zeid said the venue is not suitable for hosting such events because it is in a residential neighbourhood.