US Protesters Challenge IMF, World Bank

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, September 29, 2002

US Protesters Challenge IMF, World Bank

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Chanting ``quarantine corporate greed,'' thousands of demonstrators angered by AIDS, war and the plight of the poor marched Saturday to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the two financial institutions they blame for many of the world's problems.

Under the watchful eye of a police force reinforced with officers from around the country, the protesters flooded downtown streets, banging drums and waving giant puppets.

Security was exceedingly tight. The perimeter around the IMF and World Bank was extended out several blocks, with chain link fences and security officers in full riot gear protecting the grounds and the finance ministers meeting inside.

There were scattered skirmishes between protesters and police. At one intersection, where protesters were prevented from unfurling a banner, bottles were reported tossed. At another, protesters sat in the street, hoping to prevent delegates from leaving. At a third, they lay down in the street, arms and legs bound together with duct tape.

Only a handful of arrests had been reported at nightfall, a sharp contrast to the 649 taken into custody Friday after sporadic clashes around the city. Among the arrests Saturday: two men and two women who police said faced charges of possession an explosive device, apparently a coffee can filled with nails.

The second day of protests began peacefully with a festive rally on the grounds of the Washington Monument, where the crowd cheered speakers addressing a variety of causes, from Third World debt to AIDS to possible war against Iraq.

By early afternoon, the crowd numbered about 2,000, according to reports to D.C. police.

Source: Agencies

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