A mob wielding batons waded into an anti-regime protest in Amman on Friday, injuring eight people in the first such violence since protests began in Jordan, witnesses and medics said.
Police blamed the violence on the fact that pro- and anti-government protesters staged rallies near to each other at the same time in the Jordanian capital.
"A quarrel broke out between pro-government rally and another demonstration staged in the same location," said police spokesman Mohamed Khatib, referring to the youth rally.
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Hundreds of youth demonstrators took to the streets after Friday Muslim prayers to demand political reforms, an elected government and an end to corruption. Organisers said 400 people joined the rally but police put the number at 300.
Local journalist Moawafak Mahadine said his arm was broken in the fracas and that his son, Firas, age 30, remained hospitalised with a concussion.
"I was hospitalised and so was my son after thugs beat us with batons," he told AFP.
Medical officials confirmed admitting and treating the two.
The official news agency Petra said that thousands of government protesters had at the same time staged a rally during which they chanted, "We are ready to die for you Abu Hussein," in a reference to King Abdullah II.
"There was a row between this rally and a rally calling for reforms, due to their different positions, prompting a police intervention," said the agency, adding that the incident had ended peacefully.
Youth protesters however told AFP that they were dispersing when government supporters wielding batons launched an assault, injuring eight of them.
Information Minister Taher Adwan said a group of people armed with batons had suddenly assaulted the protesters, taking the security forces by surprise.
"The government condemns this incident. The protest was peaceful and what the assailants did is a violation of citizen liberties," he said in a statement.
Adwan added that the government would conduct an investigation to discover the identity of the assailants and "re-affirmed its commitment to undertake political reforms, particularly of the laws governing civil liberties."
The clash marks the first outbreak of political violence in Jordan since the opposition movement began staging regular protests in January.
Issam Khawaja, is secretary general of the leftist opposition party, Hashed, said "hundreds of thugs assaulted demonstrators" and named the eight people wounded.
"We will keep up our action, next Friday will be a day of rage in the whole Kingdom," he said in a press conference.
On Wednesday, about 30 university students demonstrated in front of the royal palace in Amman, calling for constitutional reforms and limits on the powers of King Abdullah II.
About 1,500 people rallied on the same day in the northern city of Irbid to denounce government "corruption" and demand political reforms, participants said.
