Sunday April 16 2:33 PM ET

IMF Meeting on Track After Police Use Force

By Mark Egan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Riot police clubbed protesters with batons and squirted pepper spray in their faces on Sunday as demonstrators tried in vain to stop financial leaders from the world's richest nations from meeting here.

The police deployed the spray and in what appeared to be an isolated incident, tear gas, after skirmishing with the crowd, many of whom were wearing bandanas and masks, for several hours. The police's use of force calmed the volatile situation down in the center of the nation's capital.

The anti-globalization protesters were trying to block off the city to prevent delegates from attending meetings at the International Monetary Fund building. They accuse the global lender of hurting the poor and destroying the environment.

``The use of tear gas is something we don't resort to unless we absolutely have to.'' Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey told a news conference.

He warned local residents to stay away from downtown, which was largely empty as it was on Sunday morning.

Earlier, police beat protesters with batons, fired pepper spray and rode their motorcycles into the crowd to try to break up demonstrators just a few blocks from the White House.

But Ramsey described the protest so far as relatively peaceful. ``Peaceful in this context is not burning, looting and doing any destruction of property,'' he said.

He estimated that around 6,000 protesters were on the streets of Washington on Sunday and that the police had arrested 637 on Saturday -- a figure that already dwarfs the 525 arrested in a week of similar protests last year in Seattle.

Like the anti-trade protests in Seattle, the demonstrators have undergone weeks of training and appeared to be highly organized. But unlike Seattle, the police have been swift to respond to attempts by protesters from disrupting the meetings here and even drew praise from some demonstrators.

``The police here are much better than they were in Seattle,'' said Alicia Leinberger, 32, a veteran of the protests in that port city last year.

But in a letter to Ramsey, the American Civil Liberties Union complained that his officers had prevented detainees from using toilets and denied access to lawyers as well as given misleading legal advice.

Most protesters were peaceful but a minority, numbering several hundred, black clad youths, made repeated attempts to break the police lines and run to the World Bank building, which is located several blocks from the White House.

In an earlier incident, body-armored police used batons ''liberally,'' a witness said, as they clashed with about 500 protesters before they reestablished the security fence that had been set up to keep the protesters away from the meetings.

No Seattle Here, Mayor Says

``You're killers,'' bandana-clad protesters, some of whom were waving anarchist flags, shouted at the police.

City mayor Anthony Williams defended the police action and said he was determined to prevent a repeat of the Seattle debacle, which involved widespread damage to property.

``What we have been trying to do from the very beginning, from all the way back in January, is to try to prevent a replication of what happened out in Seattle. I think the vast majority of these demonstrators want to demonstrate peacefully,'' he told CBS television's Face the Nation show.

The activists, carrying placards saying ``Smash Capitalism'', accuse the IMF and World Bank of foisting ill-suited economic policies on poor nations.

Protesters believe IMF and World Bank policies serve the interests of rich countries at the expense of the poorest people in the world. This is something the lending agencies deny but many of these criticisms are also shared by economists and members of the U.S. Congress.

In another incident, protesters surrounded a minibus full of delegates wearing business suits who were trying to get into the meetings. The protesters shouted ``Shame!'' and ``Go home!'' banging on the minibus with their fists as the worried delegates looked out.

After about 20 minutes, a squad of riot police, backed up by a dozen mounted police, dragged the protesters away from the minibus, throwing them to the ground and beating those who had sat on the ground in front of the minibus. ``Peaceful protest!'' the demonstrators shouted as they were beaten.

Although some delegates were delayed by the throngs of people, the IMF meetings went ahead as busloads of delegates were able to enter through a secure entrance.

Some fund staff spent the night in the building, and many delegates arrived at dawn before the crowds gathered.

But some missed their meetings. Pedro Malan, Joaquim Pina Moura, Laurent Fabius and Tarrin Nimmanahaeminda, the ministers from Brazil, Portugal, France and Thailand, were cut off by the street protests.

White house chief of staff John Podesta said the police were trying to protect the rights of both the demonstrators and the IMF/World Bank delegates.

``I think the D.C. police and other local authorities are trying to do this in a way that does not use force and keeps the peace, so that both groups can do what they're here to do,'' he told NBC'S ``Meet the Press'' show.

Adam Eidinger, a spokesman for the Mobilization for Global Justice, said the protesters had scored a victory just by delaying the delegates. ``We have surrounded the World Bank and the meetings have been delayed. Basically, we accomplished our goal,'' he said.

The IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee was discussing reforms to the world financial system to make sure that the problems that caused the financial meltdown of 1997-99 do not occur again.

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Earlier Stories

Police Use Tear Gas As Protests Escalate (April 16) Police Use Force to Keep IMF Meeting on Track (April 16) Police Use Tear Gas As Washington Protests Escalate (April 16) Police, Protesters Clash in Washington (April 16) Police Use Pepper, Batons on Protesters (April 16) Police Use Pepper Spray in Washington Protests (April 16)

Full Coverage

By Mark Egan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Riot police clubbed protesters with batons and squirted pepper spray in their faces on Sunday as demonstrators tried in vain to stop financial leaders from the world's richest nations from meeting here.

The police deployed the spray and in what appeared to be an isolated incident, tear gas, after skirmishing with the crowd, many of whom were wearing bandanas and masks, for several hours. The police's use of force calmed the volatile situation down in the center of the nation's capital.

The anti-globalization protesters were trying to block off the city to prevent delegates from attending meetings at the International Monetary Fund building. They accuse the global lender of hurting the poor and destroying the environment.

``The use of tear gas is something we don't resort to unless we absolutely have to.'' Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey told a news conference.

He warned local residents to stay away from downtown, which was largely empty as it was on Sunday morning.

Earlier, police beat protesters with batons, fired pepper spray and rode their motorcycles into the crowd to try to break up demonstrators just a few blocks from the White House.

But Ramsey described the protest so far as relatively peaceful. ``Peaceful in this context is not burning, looting and doing any destruction of property,'' he said.

He estimated that around 6,000 protesters were on the streets of Washington on Sunday and that the police had arrested 637 on Saturday -- a figure that already dwarfs the 525 arrested in a week of similar protests last year in Seattle.

Like the anti-trade protests in Seattle, the demonstrators have undergone weeks of training and appeared to be highly organized. But unlike Seattle, the police have been swift to respond to attempts by protesters from disrupting the meetings here and even drew praise from some demonstrators.

``The police here are much better than they were in Seattle,'' said Alicia Leinberger, 32, a veteran of the protests in that port city last year.

But in a letter to Ramsey, the American Civil Liberties Union complained that his officers had prevented detainees from using toilets and denied access to lawyers as well as given misleading legal advice.

Most protesters were peaceful but a minority, numbering several hundred, black clad youths, made repeated attempts to break the police lines and run to the World Bank building, which is located several blocks from the White House.

In an earlier incident, body-armored police used batons ''liberally,'' a witness said, as they clashed with about 500 protesters before they reestablished the security fence that had been set up to keep the protesters away from the meetings.

No Seattle Here, Mayor Says

``You're killers,'' bandana-clad protesters, some of whom were waving anarchist flags, shouted at the police.

City mayor Anthony Williams defended the police action and said he was determined to prevent a repeat of the Seattle debacle, which involved widespread damage to property.

``What we have been trying to do from the very beginning, from all the way back in January, is to try to prevent a replication of what happened out in Seattle. I think the vast majority of these demonstrators want to demonstrate peacefully,'' he told CBS television's Face the Nation show.

The activists, carrying placards saying ``Smash Capitalism'', accuse the IMF and World Bank of foisting ill-suited economic policies on poor nations.

Protesters believe IMF and World Bank policies serve the interests of rich countries at the expense of the poorest people in the world. This is something the lending agencies deny but many of these criticisms are also shared by economists and members of the U.S. Congress.

In another incident, protesters surrounded a minibus full of delegates wearing business suits who were trying to get into the meetings. The protesters shouted ``Shame!'' and ``Go home!'' banging on the minibus with their fists as the worried delegates looked out.

After about 20 minutes, a squad of riot police, backed up by a dozen mounted police, dragged the protesters away from the minibus, throwing them to the ground and beating those who had sat on the ground in front of the minibus. ``Peaceful protest!'' the demonstrators shouted as they were beaten.

Although some delegates were delayed by the throngs of people, the IMF meetings went ahead as busloads of delegates were able to enter through a secure entrance.

Some fund staff spent the night in the building, and many delegates arrived at dawn before the crowds gathered.

But some missed their meetings. Pedro Malan, Joaquim Pina Moura, Laurent Fabius and Tarrin Nimmanahaeminda, the ministers from Brazil, Portugal, France and Thailand, were cut off by the street protests.

White house chief of staff John Podesta said the police were trying to protect the rights of both the demonstrators and the IMF/World Bank delegates.

``I think the D.C. police and other local authorities are trying to do this in a way that does not use force and keeps the peace, so that both groups can do what they're here to do,'' he told NBC'S ``Meet the Press'' show.

Adam Eidinger, a spokesman for the Mobilization for Global Justice, said the protesters had scored a victory just by delaying the delegates. ``We have surrounded the World Bank and the meetings have been delayed. Basically, we accomplished our goal,'' he said.

The IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee was discussing reforms to the world financial system to make sure that the problems that caused the financial meltdown of 1997-99 do not occur again.

Earlier Stories

Police Use Tear Gas As Protests Escalate (April 16) Police Use Force to Keep IMF Meeting on Track (April 16) Police Use Tear Gas As Washington Protests Escalate (April 16) Police, Protesters Clash in Washington (April 16) Police Use Pepper, Batons on Protesters (April 16) Police Use Pepper Spray in Washington Protests (April 16)

Full Coverage

-- Flash (flash@flash.hq), April 16, 2000

Answers

Sorry about the duplicate text. I'm a little spastic today.

Just a preview of what's in store for us once the NWO gets our guns!

Then there's no stopping the JBGT's.

-- Flash (flash@flash.hq), April 16, 2000.