Thousands will flock to downtown D.C. this Friday to protest the biannual International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization meetings. Authorities expect 20,000 individuals to gather and organize various demonstrations against these organizations, according to the Washington Post.
The protests, which aim to disrupt daily life in the District, focus on international monetary policies that affect civil and human rights.
Besides holding sit-ins, protesters will voice their discontent by staging marches, asking for pledges from truck and cab drivers to drive below the speed limit on the Capital Beltway and by organizing a bike ride without obtaining the necessary permits.
A number of Friday’s demonstrations are still in the planning stages, and District authorities are basing their security measures on indefinite protest agendas, the Post said.
Asking businesses to remove street garbage cans and newspaper bins, reschedule deliveries and set up road blocks to aid in crowd control are measures that the police are taking to ensure public safety, according to the Metropolitian Police Department website.
City police will be working 12-hour shifts starting today, the website said.
Georgetown students are divided over the issues being protested.
Niels Melius (SFS ‘05) said that he was undecided about whether or not he would attend the protests, but agreed with some of the protestors’ concerns.
“In principle the IMF and WTO are good organizations, but there is a need for more democratic transparency,” said Melius.
Demonstrations “are very important to raise awareness and create dialogues about these issues,” said Ginny Leavell (CAS ‘05), who is planning on attending the protests on Saturday.
“The IMF and World Bank meetings get a lot of media attention every year,” she said. “Visible protests like this one raise questions and put pressure on the institutions to reform.”
Sean Doran (MSB ‘05) said that he will not be attending the protests. “I think they [the IMF and the World Bank] do the best they can with the resources available to them,” said Doran.
Many students attended a debate over the policies and direction of the IMF and World Bank held in Reiss Tuesday evening.
The last globalization protests in D.C., held the weekend of April 20, took place without major incident.
