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Jordan: Protesting teachers scuffle with security forces

Amman, Jordan iStock Thousands of teachers protested in Jordan on Thursday to demand higher wages, with some scuffling with security forces, The Associated Press reports.

Organizers of the demonstration in the capital, Amman, said the government has yet to deliver on a 50% wage increase agreed upon in 2014.

Security forces blocked roads and prevented the protesters from reaching the prime minister's office, according to AP . The teachers gathered in different areas, chanting anti-government slogans and calling for an open-ended sit-in.

Organizers had called on teachers in other cities to protest at their schools if security forces prevented them from traveling to Amman.

The teachers' syndicate later called for a strike on Sunday, the first day of the school week.

The government said in response that it is committed to dialogue with the teachers but that classes should not be interrupted and performance must improve.

Jordan's economy has deteriorated in recent years for several reasons, including the conduct of recent governments and the kingdom’s intake of over a million Syrian refugees.

The economic situation has led to some protests in the kingdom. Last year, King Abdullah replaced his Prime Minister amid widespread anger over economic policies that sparked the largest protests in the kingdom in several years.

He later said that Jordan was at a crossroads and that a new way was needed to address challenges.

Jordan's main political opposition in recent years has come from the Muslim Brotherhood movement but it faces increasing legal curbs on its activities, leaving mostly pro-monarchy parties and some independent Islamists and politicians to compete in these elections, political analysts say.

The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood was designated by the kingdom as a terrorist group in December of 2014 and one of its top members was later charged with "souring ties with a foreign country" by criticizing the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

At the same time, compared with the tough crackdowns on Islamist groups in Egypt and Gulf countries, Jordanian authorities have been relatively tolerant of the Brotherhood's presence.

The Brotherhood wants sweeping political reforms but stops short of demanding the overthrow of the monarchy in Jordan.

Tags: Jordan , protests