WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seven activists were arrested on Monday after protesting outside the World Bank's headquarters here about the bank's environmental record, as a week of anti-IMF rallies began in earnest.
The arrests were the first indication that a week of rallies -- slated to attract thousands to protest about the economic effect of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on poor nations -- might end, as some fear, in riots and vandalism like those seen at Seattle's trade talks last year.
Protesters used a truck, emblazoned with the legend "World Bank Plunders the Planet -- No More (dollars) for Oil, Gas and Mining," to block part of Pennsylvania Avenue outside the World Bank's headquarters while others scaled the building.
Three of the protesters were arrested for failing to obey police orders after chaining themselves to the truck's axle to prevent the vehicle from being moved. Four other protesters were arrested after climbing on top of the building's awnings.
One of the activists called from the D.C. jail to speak to a news conference organized by environmentalists opposed to World Bank/IMF loans for oil, natural gas and mining projects.
"The action was successful. We got our message out about the fact that the World Bank needs to stop funding oil, gas and mining projects," Liz Guy, who uses the activist name "Sprout," said via telephone from the District's 2nd precinct.
The protest prompted police to throw a security perimeter around the IMF and World Bank headquarters.
[a4a: Funny how the right to free assembly disappears the moment people exercise it. You're allowed to freely assemble and express your opinion in this country, so long as you don't actually exercise those rights.]
Police spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile told Reuters barricades were erected on Monday afternoon -- between 18th and 20th Streets and between G and H Streets -- a day ahead of schedule as a result of Monday's skirmishes.
[a4a: Skirmishes?? I'm sorry, was there a fight between the protestors and the police? No. The cops arrested the protestors, some of whom were shackled to the truck.]
Protesters claim that the World Bank's funding of oil, gas and mining projects cause environmental destruction and human rights abuses in many countries, something the bank denies.
[a4a: Okay, so you have two opinions, one a claim, one a denial. A journalist would look into the story, to see who has the facts behind their opinions. But this hack won't even do that, I betcha. Rather, he'll keep it safely in the realm of he said/she said, and not probe any further. It's not newsworthy, right?]
Monday's action followed a peaceful rally on Sunday organized by debt relief advocates who believe the World Bank and IMF should cancel the debts of poor nations. That rally attracted about 2,000 people, failing to live up to organizers' claims that more than 10,000 would attend.
[a4a: Now here's something else -- "peaceful rally" -- as if this current action wasn't peaceful? Did the protestors attack the police, or harm them? No. Did they destroy any property? No. So, how can this protest be considered anything other than peaceful?? Yet the hack would portray it that this action was somehow a "skirmish" and not peaceful.]
The protests are being arranged by a coalition from all ends of the political-activism spectrum from anarchists and radicals to religious leaders.
The common belief among the coalition is that the policies that accompany World Bank and IMF loans foster poverty by drowning poor nations in debt and forcing them to pay interest on loans at the expense of health and education spending.
They also believe that the lending agencies' policies help promote globalization, boosting the profits of multinational corporations while increasing poverty.
[a4a: Now, as above, a journalist might look into that, and explore whether those "beliefs" are factual or not. But a hack won't bother. Perhaps a look into "austerity measures" would be illustrative? This fellow won't go there, of course. Better to keep it abstract and unexplored, like a good lil' journalist.]
At a separate event on Monday, activists launched a campaign to boycott World Bank bonds. The bank secures about 80 percent of its funding for loans through public bond issuance.
Comments made at that launch highlighted the difficulty the World Bank or IMF would have in winning over their enemies through meaningful dialogue.
[a4a: Meaningful dialogue. Christ, this guy's not too much in the pocket of the business interests is he? I think there's definitely meaningful dialogue occurring -- the protestors are saying "we don't like you, World Bank, IMF -- we fundamentally oppose what you're doing, and no amount of cops and security perimeters will keep us from showing how we feel about you." That's very meaningful. But in this hack's sense of the term, "meaningful dialogue" means acquiescing to the IMF's global agenda.]
Dennis Brutus, once a political prisoner in apartheid-era South Africa, said, "The World Bank is as of now the most destructive force in the world."
Laying the daily deaths of 30,000 people in developing countries at the World Bank's door, he added that the group was, "more vicious, more deadly and more destructive" than the apartheid regime in South Africa.
More than 10,000 people are expected to march on the IMF next Sunday as the lending agency's spring meeting reaches its climax. Organizers maintain the rally will be free from the sort of vandalism and violence which marred the trade talks in Seattle last year.
[a4a: What violence? You mean the police violence? How can the organizers be sure the police won't fly off the handle yet again? Oh, wait -- the reporter means the protestors won't be violent. But they weren't violent, although some did engage in vandalism. The violence was perpetrated by the police. But this hack can't say that. The police are the good guys, always.]
White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said he hoped the demonstrations will be peaceful.
"We welcome those who come on all sides of issues to demonstrate peacefully. We don't welcome and we condemn those who come here to break the law," he added.
The prospect of trouble has brought with it a greater interest from the media than is normal for an IMF event.
This week's meeting boasts a record 1,500 journalists accredited, many of who have little interest in normal IMF fodder such as balance of payment issues or the "architecture" of global financial markets.
[a4a: Now, if only all of these journalists would cover the real story, instead of focusing on the chance of police violence and some sensational coverage of cops busting protestor heads. Why not a story on the practices of the IMF and World Bank -- explore the allegations of the protestors? No, that's too much work. Better to film tear gas and clubbed protestors. That's journalism. Or is it propaganda? Can you tell the difference anymore?]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Police established a security perimeter around the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on Monday after arresting seven activists who attempted to scale the bank headquarters in protest against its environmental record.
[a4a: Now the reporter talks of the World Bank/IMF environmental record, as if that record has actually been vetted in the media, which it hasn't. Perhaps he should write about that? Nahh, best left unsaid. Remember my first rule of bogus journalism -- that which can't be refuted must be ignored.]
"We were planning to do it Tuesday but after this morning's protests we moved it up and put the perimeter in place this afternoon," police spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile told Reuters.
The IMF and World Bank, holding their spring meetings here this week, are bracing for a series of rallies by a coalition of protesters decrying what they see as the ills of the global economy and calling for debt relief for poor nations.
Debt relief advocates maintain debt servicing keeps poor countries entrenched in poverty by forcing them to pay interest on debts at the expense of health and education spending.
[a4a: Obviously it's only "what they see" -- a perspective, rather than anything based in fact. The fact is that those countries are entrenched in poverty and are forced to undergo "austerity measures" -- slashing social spending -- to appease foreign investors. That's how it works. Again, won't this clown bother to research this story -- this real, honest-to-goodness story?]
The security perimeter, which prevents access over two city blocks, is sure to cause gridlock in the nation's capital during the week and will likely be widened at the weekend when protests are expected to reach their peak. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend a rally next Sunday, as the meetings reach their climax, in an attempt to halt the proceedings.
The prospect has led some to fear there could be a repeat of the riots and vandalism which marred trade talks late last year in Seattle.
[a4a: Those police riots were something. They really laid into the nonviolent demonstrators. They left the windowbreakers alone, incidentally. But they beat the crap out of the nonviolent ones. But this guy isn't talking about that.]
The State Department has given both the World Bank and IMF temporary diplomatic mission status. That means the Secret Service will police inside the security perimeter while Washington D.C. police will handle any problems outside the perimeter.
[a4a: Interesting. The SS is on the job. I wonder if that permits the government to treat any protest inside the security perimeter as a federal crime, to justify steep sentences against the protestors? Just a thought.]
[a4a: Great. Tired, pissed-off cops. I'm sure that's a recipe for disaster.]
Police also have Civil Disturbance Units on hand through the end of the meetings should demonstrations turn ugly.
[a4a: I'll have to look into these Civil Disturbance Units. I'll see what I can dig up. I hope they don't make the protest turn ugly. Pepper gas and rubber bullets do make things turn ugly. Are you getting a sense of how scared the ruling elites are by this protest, and the ghost of Seattle? Democracy scares the rich few who run our society. It scares them BIG TIME.]
World Bank security has advised staff via e-mail to arrange meetings this week at other locations if possible. Staff have been encouraged to wear casual clothes and hide their official security badges when on the streets to make it harder for demonstrators to target them.
The bank has told all nonessential staff to remain at home and plans to close its cafeteria during the meetings.
"If your assignment permits, wear casual clothes. If you must wear business attire, try to keep changes of clothing in the office. Persons wearing business attire drew attention of demonstrators at the Seattle (trade) meetings."
[a4a: That's funny. They're going undercover, to the extent that they're taking off their uniforms (the suits) and trying to pass as ordinary people. HAHAH -- we'll see if that works. I wonder if the protestors will take advantage of that. Maybe some World Bank staff will get accidentally beaten by cops. Oops!]
Delegates attending the World Trade Organization talks in Seattle complained that suits and security badges made them easy targets for protesters who jibed and even assaulted them.
The letter also told staff to accept literature from protesters but not to attempt to debate with them.
[a4a: What, no meaningful dialogue after all?]
A separate e-mail, sent by World Bank President James Wolfensohn told staffers not to be put off by accusations from protesters who say bank and fund policies are responsible for thousands of deaths each day in the developing world.
"We can and should be proud of the work we do in fighting poverty," Wolfensohn wrote to his staff.
"This is a noble task and a human one. Our team is as devoted and effective as any in the world."
Wolfensohn said in his letter that the bank is more than willing to have constructive talks and has invited over 300 non governmental organizations to talks during the meetings.
[a4a: Note that a "constructive talk" amounts to the World Bank staying the course, and activists getting on board and backing them up. Anything else wouldn't be constructive. That's the way these corporate groups work.]
"We nevertheless anticipate that there will be many demonstrators uninterested in discussion, and whose primary aim is to close down the meetings," he added.
The protests began in earnest on Monday as seven activists were arrested after blocking traffic on part of Pennsylvania Avenue and scaling the World Bank's building.
WASHINGTON -- On Friday evening, Chicago labor activist Emily LaBarbera-Twarog and nearly 50 others will board a bus to the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the nation's capital.
They plan to hook up with another Chicago contingent representing members of the Democratic Socialists of America; a group of steelworkers from Gary, Ind.; and the United Electrical Workers, among others.
"It's a wonderful mix of people," LaBarbera-Twarog says.
When the bus arrives Saturday, its first stop is to be a back-alley warehouse on Florida Avenue in the northwest part of the capital, a training ground for anyone who wants to participate in the demonstrations, teach-ins and other activities culminating in what organizers hope will be a shutdown of the World Bank/IMF meetings Sunday and Monday.
Organized by the Mobilization for Global Justice, the warehouse site is a self-sufficient community, with a kitchen to feed protesters, art supplies to channel their loathing of corporate globalization into creative statements, and a small bicycle garage to lend environmentally correct transportation. "You're in downtown Washington, D.C. It's Sunday, 4/16/00, about 10 a.m., it's muggy," reads a sign outside a second-floor workshop called "Non-violent action preparation."
"And you're about to be arrested, along with 1,500 of your closest friends."
Taped to a wall in a first-floor corridor, an Oregon merchant advertises gas masks, saying that they've been particularly hard to come by since the Seattle protests.
New adult Israeli gas masks are $19.95, with an extra filter for $5.95. The merchant makes it clear that the supply is limited and priority will be given to those with respiratory problems.
Thanks to the sometimes-violent confrontations that disrupted the World Trade Organization's Seattle meeting last fall, the protesters gathering in Washington seem to know what they are facing.
The schedule posted on the warehouse wall lists times and contacts for sessions on barricade training--effective ways for so-called affinity groups to form a human barricade, that is.
In Seattle, these small groups of five to 15 protesters used radios to coordinate a human chain around the city's convention center. They successfully prevented WTO delegates from attending their meetings.
Inside the warehouse, role-playing allows protesters to get a feel for how an affinity group functions. They practice consensus decision-making, guided by facilitators. New York City protester Zack Winestine says it's empowering.
"Affinity groups are basically bottom-up organizations, starting from the individual and then bringing individuals together to make common decisions," he said. "The decision-making at the World Bank and the IMF is very much a top-down situation where you have a couple of leaders ... who are making a decision, which is then relayed to all the people underneath them."
Issue forums help activists understand what the various groups are protesting: IMF/World Bank structural adjustment programs, labor and globalization, and gender issues. There's even a media seminar.
As the Midwest organizer for the Campaign for Labor Rights, LaBarbera-Twarog says she is concerned with international and domestic sweatshop issues--diminishing wages and occupational safety standards that she says have only worsened under World Bank and IMF policies.
Then there are the environmentalists, who contend the World Bank contributes to global warming by investing more in fossil fuel projects than in ones involving renewable energy sources.
On Monday, seven environmentalists were arrested as they stopped a rental truck in front of the World Bank headquarters, blocking morning traffic.
The causes, while running the full gamut, are connected, says Trim Bissell, national coordinator for the Campaign for Labor Rights. On Tuesday, Bissell visited the warehouse to lead an issue forum on labor and globalization. He pointed out the connections between the issues that are bringing the activists to Washington.
"Look at Seattle, there's the answer to the question of how powerful it is when all these interests come together," Bissell said.
"We realize we are a common opposition, [with] a common problem, which is corporate globalization. Our strength is in unity, as it always is."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two vegetarian protesters were arrested on Friday for dumping a truckload of horse manure outside the World Bank headquarters as a week of anti-globalization protests gathered steam.
Just a few blocks away, a protester dressed as "Star Wars" character Darth Vader and others gathered at a small demonstration outside the White House against what they see as wasteful military spending.
Friday's arrests took to 17 the number arrested this week during the daily protests staged on the fringes of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's meetings in the U.S. capital.
Protesters argue that the IMF and World Bank impose ill-suited economic policies on poor nations -- policies they say serve the interests of rich nations at the expense of the world's poorest people.
The protests are building up to what could be a massive demonstration on Sunday aimed at shutting down the IMF and World Bank meetings. With as many as 10,000 expected at Sunday's rally and police out in force, some are concerned the situation could degenerate into the type of riots seen last year in Seattle during global trade talks.
The driver, dressed in a cow costume, was arrested, as was another protester who tried to plant a sign reading "World Bank: Meat Stinks" into the pile.
"Stand back; this is a crime scene," one policeman told onlookers near the manure pile.
The manure stunt was arranged by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an activist group opposed to the use of animal fur in clothing and medical experiments involving animals.
PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said the World Bank forces traditional farmers in developing nations into intensive export-based farming, which he said is cruel to animals.
Police have heightened security around the meetings. A security perimeter has been erected around the lending agencies' headquarters in downtown Washington and protection for public officials has been increased dramatically.
Police have also removed newspaper boxes and other street fixtures, anything which could be used for property destruction in a riot situation, from blocks near the IMF building.
Early on Sunday morning, protesters are expected to try to block off the streets leading to the IMF and World Bank in an effort to shut down the meetings.
"We have the equipment ... but we don't intend to use it," Ramsey said. "That all depends on the protesters. Our plan is to be as gentle or as forceful as we need to be, depending on the circumstances -- they drive that, not us."
"Everyone is trying very much to keep this from escalating like it did in Seattle," he added.
Ramsey advised residents and tourists to stay away from the IMF, which stands blocks away from major tourist attractions such as the White House, because major traffic delays or street closures are expected in the coming days.
Just a block from where Ramsey was speaking with reporters, demonstrators shouted "Viva Zapata" outside the Mexican embassy in support of a 1994 Mayan Indian uprising in southern Mexico.
"Up with the people; down with the banks; put the IMF in the tanks," the group of 50 people chanted outside the empty embassy. The protesters said U.S. trade policies and IMF programs were a "boa constrictor" strangling peasant communities and undermining their livelihood based on corn.
At a military spending protest, which took place between the U.S. Treasury Department and the White House, there were fewer than 100 protesters. The protesters, who were outnumbered by police and media, argued that more than $120 billion has been wasted on developing space-based weapons since the 1980s.
While Friday's protests were minor, a couple of miles (km) away in the Adams Morgan section of Washington, activists gathered in a warehouse to prepare for Sunday's demonstration.
Hundreds of people, mainly young, white and unkempt activists from all across the country, packed the building attending workshops, making puppets and cooking food for those taking part in the events.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a clear show of force on the eve of mass protests planned against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Washington police arrested hundreds of peaceful protesters on Saturday.
Decked out in riot gear and backed by armored cars and buses, police corralled hundreds of protesters who had been demonstrating without a permit in a drizzling rain about half a dozen blocks from the White House.
After about a 90-minute standoff with more than 100 police during which protesters pleaded to be allowed to leave the area, officers started the mass arrests.
They took demonstrators away one by one, their hands cuffed behind their backs with plastic restraints, and put them on yellow school buses.
Reporters on the scene counted around 200 protesters taken into custody and said Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post photographer Carol Guzy and an unidentified tourist who had been in the crowd were also taken away by police. Police declined to confirm the number of arrests.
Demonstrators shouted "shame, shame" as police made their arrests. Police spokesman Joe Gentile said protesters were arrested for marching on the streets without a permit.
The protesters said they believed the police action and mass arrests were an attempt to intimidate others from showing up at Sunday and Monday's rallies, which are expected to begin at an area just behind the White House. President Clinton will be in California over the weekend, however.
After months of preparation, thousands of activists have converged on Washington for the weekend's events. They believe that the IMF and World Bank foist ill-suited economic policies on poor nations, forcing them deeper into misery.
They also believe IMF and World Bank policies serve the interests of rich countries at the expense of the poorest people in the world -- something the lending agencies deny.
But protesters have other causes as well. Saturday's demonstrators were criticizing U.S. prison policies, complaining the country spends too much incarcerating people and not enough on health and education.
Three women dressed in long red dresses and carrying red flags stood in the group reading out loud excerpts from Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto".
Police poked fun at protesters who had said they hoped to avoid arrest before Sunday's big demonstrations.
"You look like you're going to cry. I don't want you crying on the sidewalk, man," said one officer.
One activist asked for officer's motivation:
Officer said "Ching-ching" like a cash register, joking about the overtime hours police will be working during the meeting.
Three protesters who planned to take part in rallies were arrested late on Friday during the search of an apartment in Washington which turned up devices to block streets and instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails.
Another man was arrested for running almost naked, dressed only in a grass skirt, through a busy street in Georgetown -- the city's prestigious shopping and residential district -- at a fringe protest against sweatshop labor outside The Gap.
Early Saturday morning fire marshals closed the warehouse being used as an organizing headquarters by the anti-IMF coalition -- the Mobilization for Global Justice -- for alleged fire violations after finding a Molotov cocktail.
[a4a: I think this is a lie -- a prefabricated excuse by the cops to bust some people.]
Adam Eidinger, spokesman for the protesters, said there were no fire-code violations at the site and that the police were simply attempting to thwart the activists' efforts.
"They have been looking for any excuse to shut us down," Eidinger said. "Under the guise of fire violations they have violated our constitutional rights."
[a4a: I agree with this. I think it was used as a pretext for the bust.]
"They have been saying all the time that it will be peaceful. I just hope they honor that," Ramsey told reporters.
Numerous businesses in the area have closed up for the weekend while others have boarded up their windows and police have advised residents and tourists to avoid the area.
The day started badly for World Bank President James Wolfensohn as 20 protesters woke him at daybreak to present a letter demanding the lending agency change its policies.
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