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Monday, December 13, 2010     GET REAL

Soccer riot ignites tension between Jordan's Bedouins, Palestinians

AMMAN — Jordan's Hashemite kingdom has bolstered security forces around several of its cities amid rising Bedouin tension with the Palestinian majority.

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On Dec. 10, about 250 people were injured in a clash between Palestinians and Bedouin soccer fans in Amman, Middle East Newsline reported.

"These evil attempts should make us all aware that our country's interests and its integral unity are top priorities," Senate president Taher Al Masri, a Palestinian and former prime minister, said.


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Soccer violence between Bedouins and Palestinians is not new. In 2009, Palestinian fans at a soccer match between national teams Faisali and Wehdat hurled abuse toward Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein. Faisali is dominated by Bedouins and Wehdat by Palestinians.

In the latest clash, Bedouins began hurling bottles at Palestinians after Wehdat beat Faisali 1-0 in the qualifying game for the national league. The attack prompted police to fire tear gas, which sparked a stampede in the stadium and resulted in the the collapse of a fence.

"That triggered the collapse of the large metal fence, which fell on people and police forces under it," a witness said.

Officials said at least 30 police officers were injured, many of them members of the paramilitary Gendermarie. They said the rioters smashed police cars as well.

"I have watched hundreds of football matches in the country but never witnessed such an incident," another witness told the Jordan Times.

The Jordanian government has formed a panel to investigate the riots. The Cabinet said authorities would bolster security both inside and outside soccer stadiums.

"They will continue to take all necessary measures to preserve security, stability and the society's spirit of brotherhood and coherence and protect all citizens, including civilians and members of the security agencies," the Cabinet said.

Soccer violence in the Middle East has often reflected ethnic and religious divides. More than 70 percent of Jordan's population is Palestinian while the Bedouin minority dominates the security forces.

"Those who tried to take advantage of the incident, raising provocative statements, should have instead sought to ease the tension and restore calm," Interior Minister Saad Srour said.



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