Jordan suspends TikTok, condemns app for ‘inciting violence and disorder’ amid protests

A day after a police officer was killed during clashes with demonstrators over high petrol prices, Jordan said on Friday that it was placing a "temporary ban" on the social media app TikTok. Last week, truckers went on strike to protest the exorbitant cost of fuel in the Arab nation. Many cities in Jordan have experienced the strike and protests. On Thursday, there were clashes in numerous places, and police used tear gas to break them up.

Videos of theprotests went viral onTikTok and Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said on Friday it was banningthe popular short-form video application “after its misuse and failing to deal with publications inciting violence and disorder.”

Internet was also disrupted in the cities of Maan, where the police officer was killed, and Karak.

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Meanwhile, King Abdullah II of Jordan affirmedto “deal firmly” with the situation.

“We will not tolerate violence against our security personnel, who work day and night to protect Jordan and Jordanians,” he said in a statement released by the Royal Court.

The deputy police director in the city of Maan, Abdul Razzaq Abdel Hafez Al Dalabeh, was shot and killed on Thursday. The king visited the family to offer his condolences.

Jordan has long been regarded as an oasis of stability in a volatile area and is a close ally of the West.

(With inputs from agencies)

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