Lockdown violations continue to draw wide condemnation

AMMAN — Jordanians voiced their outrage over the weekend over dozens of videos that went viral showing thousands of people defying the lockdown and celebrating the election results in various parts of the country.

Following the results of the parliamentary elections on Tuesday, dozens of videos started circulating which showed different kinds of celebrations by winning candidates and their supporters in defiance of the four-day lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

People are seen firing firearms in the videos and images posted online and in one instance, an 11-year-old child is seen holding a machinegun and firing in the air.

In other images and videos, thousands of people could be seen gathering in one area to support their candidates.

“We are really surprised and taken by what happened. Why wasn’t the government prepared for such an incident?” Faten Abboud wrote on Facebook.

Muna Hadad tweeted: “The video of the little boy shooting in Jordan is by far the worst video I’ve seen for our elections, what is wrong with people? I really don’t understand.”

Former minister Marwan Juma wrote on his Facebook  that the lockdown had “kept many people at home while others were moving freely”.

“If we cannot control the candidates’ supporters, then there is no need for the lockdown. Allow people to move and open their businesses,” Juma wrote.

He added: “Either the law is applied on everyone or let us all move freely.” 

Alia A. Toukan added: “Let’s see what the corona numbers are like in two weeks and let’s see how all this outright violence, which has also been apparent, will be addressed”.

His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday took to Twitter to comment on the events that happened in various areas of the Kingdom after the announcement of the initial results of the parliamentary elections.

The King wrote in Arabic: “The unfortunate events that we witnessed by some after the elections are a clear violation to the law and a transgression on the safety and health of society and do not reflect the real awareness of the vast majority of our citizens in all the governorates of our dear homeland.”

His Majesty added: “We are a state of law and the law will be enforced on all without exception.” 

On Thursday, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh announced that Interior Minister Tawfiq Halalmeh had tendered his resignation out of his “moral responsibility” following the events after the parliamentary elections. 

Khasawneh made the announcement during a joint press briefing at the Prime Ministry with Public Security Directorate (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti to acquaint the public with the government procedures to deal with violations and riots that followed the elections.

In this regard, the prime minister stressed that all who violated the law, did not adhere to the curfew and those who used weapons to celebrate winning in the elections will be penalised as per the law, adding that the army was being deployed across the Kingdom to help security agencies restore order.

Hawatmeh said that what happened is the result of failure of successive governments in dealing with the issue of weapons, promising Jordanians that the directorate will pursue all who use firearms in festive activities and violated the law.

Dozens of people who purportedly appeared in video clips using weapons in celebration were detained by the authorities.

Police also provided the press with dozens of photos of confiscated weapons and announced that over 20 candidates were referred to administrative governors for legal action.