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  • Last Update
    12-Feb-2018

Social media users chastise ‘sympathy’ towards bank robbers

 

By Rana Husseini , The Jordan Times

 

AMMAN — Jordanian social media users on Sunday launched a hashtag campaign dubbed “No justification for robberies”, in response to reported public sympathy towards the recent criminal acts.
 
The hashtag, which was one of the top three tweets locally, was launched after several people voiced their sympathy towards suspects recently caught by police after robbing banks and businesses, in most occasions using armed weapons.
 
“There is no justification for armed robbery and anyone who commits robbery should just go to jail,” Anwar Aaka tweeted.
 
“Whoever robs a financial institute or an entity will most probably rob your house… there is no justification whatsoever for robberies,” Ali Shouham wrote on his Twitter account.
 
For Rawan Khalidi, “armed robberies are on the rise because there are no stiff penalties for these perpetrators. I really hope that they introduce harsh penalties to deter such crimes”.
 
However, several people took advantage of the hashtag to criticise officials, calling for punishment of what they described as “corrupt officials”.
 
“It is nice to see people who are stealing get punished… but what about some of the officials who [steal] but are not being questioned or punished?” Asma A. tweeted.
 
Hassan Obeido added in a tweet: “What about individuals who rob the country? Or is it not considered robbery? You only go after the poor.”
 
In late June, following a string of armed robberies that targeted local banks, pharmacies, shops, gas stations and other businesses, the Public Security Department (PSD) issued several statements warning whom they called “social media armed-robbers sympathisers” to stop publishing posts on social media.
 
“What armed bank robbers are doing is dangerous to our community and people should stop expressing sympathy for these robbers,” the police statement said, adding that individuals who use social media for that purpose will be prosecuted
 
“We urge the public and the media to help us do our job in finding the robber by refraining from publishing inaccurate information about the incident. We will inform the public about any developments in due course,” the PSD statement said.
 

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