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From	"samizdat.net" <samizdat@ecn.org>
Date	Sun, 24 Sep 2000 17:22:30 +0200
Subject	globe_l: Prague 2000 - Protestors block center of Prague in first majordemo

Protestors block center of Prague in first major demo

Prague, Sept 23 (AFP) - One thousand anarchists briefly blocked the centre
of Prague Saturday in the first major demonstration against the World Bank
and International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s annual meeting here.

The protest, which started at 3:00 p.m. (1300 GMT), stalled traffic in the
city centre for about two hours, as demonstrators formed a procession after
a gathering called by several communist and anarchist groups in Peace
Square (Namesti Miru).

The demonstration came as leaders of the World Bank and the IMF met their
critics in Prague Saturday, in an often heated debate convened by Czech
President Vaclav Havel at the resplendent Prague Castle, set atop a hill
overlooking the city.

Human rights activist Walden Bello of the Philippines, a member of the
panel that led the debate, said he felt "disquiet" since arriving in Prague.

"We came here expecting a hard discussion of facts and yet what we have
gotten was Mr. (World Bank President James) Wolfensohn saying he feels good
coming to work for the World Bank, and Mr. (IMF Managing Director Horst)
Koehler saying he has a heart, too," Bello said.

Havel had opened the meeting by saying: "The dialogue has just begun."

The disruption caused by the demonstration covered a district in the center
of Prague which included the Marriott and Renaissance hotels, where several
of the 18,000 delegates to the IMF and World Bank conferences are staying.

There were brief scuffles at a central Prague metro station between the
left-wing and anarchist demonstrators and skinheads, who had been
demonstrating in another part of the city.

As the anarchist demonstration broke up, about 1,000 communists began
marching in central Prague, brandishing red flags, portraits of Karl Marx,
Vladimir Lenin and Che Guevara and banners proclaiming "Our world is not
for sale" and in German "For Work, peace and friendship."

Other slogans called for the abolition of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund, as well as for the cancelling of Third World
debt.

Police did not intervene despite the fact that such marches have been
banned for the duration of the World Bank-IMF annual meeting here, that
opened earlier this week and is to run until next Thursday.

Protestors have called for a wide range of street protests in Prague during
the meetings, including a massive demonstration on Tuesday, when an
expected 20,000 people are to block the congress hall where the meeting is
taking place.

Havel has said he is sensitive to the protestors' call for powerful world
aid organizations to be more accountable, but there is fear that radicals
will disrupt and escalate what have been advertised as non-violent
demonstrations.

Militants said some 1,500 Italian activists were trying to reach Prague but
there were reports that Czech authorities have blocked the country's
southern borders.

A demonstration has been planned for Sunday by the Jubilee 2000 group that
calls for the World Bank and the IMF to cancel all debt of the world's
poorest nations.

The demonstration is to be a mock funeral procession in Prague, Jubilee
2000 said in a communique.

The umbrella Czech-based INPEG initiative against economic globalization,
which has called Tuesday's rally, has said its supporters are ready to go
to jail and face police batons for their call for World Bank and IMF
officials to resign immediately, organizer Tedd Cain told AFP.

Cain said INPEG was "tired of dialogue" with the World Bank and would block
roads and then react non-violently to any police reaction.

"We can't be responsible for how the police act," Cain said.


Praga 2000
Informations multilingues en direct
http://www.sherwood.it/praga




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