Scores hurt in Jordan as rival protesters clash

AMMAN, Jordan—Scores of people have been injured as pro- and anti-government protesters pelt each other with stones and police seek to disperse them with water cannons.

Friday’s clashes are the worst yet in three months of demonstrations calling for political reform.

The violence started when about 400 government supporters attacked some 1,500 demonstrators calling for the dissolution of parliament and the firing of the country’s prime minister.

Hundreds of anti-government activists have vowed to camp out in the central square in front of the Interior Ministry in Amman—modeling their protest on the Egyptian uprising toppled that country’s longtime ruler last month. Many more joined them Friday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP)—Pro-government supporters have attacked a gathering of Jordanian protesters demanding the dissolution of parliament and the firing of the country’s prime minister, pelting them with stones and injuring six people.

The violence Friday came as about 1,000 Jordanians joined protests at the camp in central Amman, styled after Cairo’s Liberation Square, where a popular uprising led to the ouster of Egypt’s longtime president.

Late Thursday, 35 activists were injured in a similar confrontation at the central square in front of the Interior Ministry in Amman.

It marked one of the worst incidents of violence in three months of demonstrations at which Jordanian activists, inspired by pro-democracy protests sweeping the Arab world, have demanded more political say in the kingdom’s affairs.

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