http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/1012/jordans-march-24-youth-sit-in-violently-dispersed-
Though unclear as to the exact date of their formation, a group of young Jordanian men and women came together some time ago calling for a sit-in at Amman's Dakhilliyyeh Circle (also known as Gamal Abdul-Nasser Circle) to be held on Thursday March 24, 2011. Dubbed "The March 24 Youth," organizers and participants advocated a reformist agenda (see below) while affirming their loyalty to both the Jordanian nation-state and the Hashemites as its royal family. Initially organized through various social network media as well as the Jordanian blogosphere, the sit-in was planned to be open-ended until their demands were met. In the days leading to the sit-in, a Loyalty March was organized to take place on the same day by alleged supporters of King Abudullah II. As the sit-in began to take effect on Thursday, Jordanian police and gendarmerie were deployed, sealing off the traffic to the circle except for cars belonging to the Loyalty March, which was allowed to enter the circle and take up a position facing the March 24 Youth sit-in. While the counter-demonstrators immediately began chanting insults at the sit-in participants, on Friday morning they eventually took to throwing stones and attacking the March 24 Youth. As chaos ensued (or was created), both the police and gendarmerie attacked the protesters, breaking-up the sit-in, dispersing the crowd, beating some participants, while arresting others. There are at least one hundred confirmed injuries in addition to one confirmed death. Following the "clearing" of the Circle, participants in the Loyalty March celebrated with both the police and the gendarmerie the end of the March 24 Youth sit-in. Reports have also surfaced that fifteen members of the Jordanian National Dialogue Committee resigned in response to the treatment of protesters.
Below are English translations [by Ziad Abu-Rish] of two statements issued by the March 24 Youth in the weeks prior to the sit-in. Following the statements are some videos showing different aspect of the sit-in and the attack on it. For more analysis of contemporary politics in Jordan, see Jadaliyya's "Five Questions on Jordan" and "The Alternative Opposition in Jordan and the Failure to Understand the Lessons of the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions."
