Thousands march in Jordanian Day of Anger

Thousands of demonstrators held a “Day of Anger” in the Jordanian capital Amman on Friday in rallies organised by the Islamist opposition and other parties to call for political reforms.

Reuters/Majed Jaber

"The people want to reform the regime, dissolve parliament and amend the constitution," the protesters chanted.

They carried banners reading "we have no place for corruption and the corrupt," and "enough bullying, we want democracy, not a security mentality".

They also called for scrapping amendments to the 1952 constitution, which was proclaimed by King Abdullah II's grandfather King Talal.

The document has been amended 29 times, giving greater power to the monarch
and weakening the legislature, according to experts.

Police said 6,000 people took part in the demonstration, the largest since last month, while organisers put the figure at more than 10,000 supporters of the Islamist movement and 19 political parties.

Meanwhile, more than 100 supporters of the Hashemite royal family gathered outside Al-Husseini Mosque, in the heart of the capital.

There was a strong police presence in the capital but security forces appeared to stay on the sidelines, even offering juice and water to the protesters.