The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are preparing to hold their fall meetings in downtown Washington, D.C. Heavy protests are expected; loosely-organized demonstrators seem committed to making a show of force at least comparable to that seen at recent World Bank/IMF meetings in Seattle and Genoa, Italy. The protest organizers are already claiming an initial victory, as the meetings, which were originally planned to begin on Sep. 29 and last through Oct. 4, will now just last through the weekend. On the first day, the planned protests will focus on U.S. intervention in Latin America. On the second, protesters will mostly dispute World Bank and IMF involvement in the Third World.
It is probably for the best that organizers plan to shorten the meeting. While anti-globalization protesters may see this development as a sign the international capitalist regime is recoiling in horror, the decision more likely reflected the simple calculation that a shorter conference would leave less time for trouble to erupt.
In preparation for the protesters’ possibly disruptive presence, D.C. officials have already requested the Federal government help finance security precautions. Mayor Anthony Williams’ administration has requested $30 million for barriers to keep demonstrators away from the meeting.
One of the most consistent demands of anti-globalization protesters is that World Bank and IMF meetings be open to public scrutiny. As tensions have steadily heightened, the conferences have become more removed from the public eye, with heads of state meeting not just behind closed doors, but behind huge “exclusion zones.” If Mayor Williams’ plan receives financial support, this trend will continue in D.C. next month which is especially infuriating to the protesters, many of whom have recently begun demanding they be allowed to assemble within earshot of the meetings.
In response to the District’s plan to keep protesters out of downtown, an organization called the Partnership for Civil Justice will file a lawsuit against the District on behalf of all the protest organizers.
The suit will claim that District authorities are violating the free speech rights of protesters by attempting to restrict them from parts of the city.
Mayor Williams is doing just what he should in requesting money and planning for extensive security precautions. While it is arguably unfair for District authorities to use police force to keep all demonstrators away from the proceedings when many are interested only in non-violent protest, some protest groups have stated that they will come to D.C. to disrupt the conference.
Elected heads of state should be allowed to meet in peace, without having to worry about being ambushed. While many protest groups do make important points regarding ecology, wealth distribution and developmental practices, simply being the over-hyped opposition does not earn one the right to demand a seat at a negotiation table intended for presidents and prime ministers.
Extensive mainstream media coverage, without which anti-capitalist chic could never sustain itself, will ensure that the protesters’ messages reaches those concerned loud and clear. Meanwhile, D.C. just needs to survive the weekend.
