Hello all-- Here's a compilation of press hits from yesterday's smashingly successful press conference. Keep your eyes peeled for more. We also appeared on Fox 10:00 News last night. Send me a line if you know of other TV appearances (especially if you happened to tape it!). Best, Laura Laura Jones 2030 Center 1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 Voice: (202) 822-6526 Fax: (202) 822-1199 Web: www.2030.org *************************************** Chicago Tribune March 15, 2000 Wednesday IMF, WORLD BANK ARE LIKELY TO GET SEATTLE-STYLE TREATMENT IN D.C. BYLINE: By Jeff Meredith, Washington Bureau. Tribune news services contributed to this report. BODY: Dozens of protest groups are planning to bring thousands of demonstrators to the nation's capital in April to dramatize their opposition to policies they say are impoverishing the less-developed world. They are organizing their activities around next month's semiannual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, protest leaders said Tuesday after World Bank President James Wolfensohn addressed the National Press Club. Protest leaders said they plan to use the same civil disobedience tactics that paralyzed Seattle during the World Trade Organization's meetings last fall. As a result, the finance ministers, central bank governors and other officials from 182 nations meeting here April 16-17 could face confrontational protests. "We are calling for a shutdown of the [World] Bank and the IMF meeting," said Nadine Bloch of the Mobilization for Global Justice, the protest umbrella group. The group maintains the World Bank and IMF have put "profits before workers' rights, human rights and the environment." World Bank spokeswoman Carolyn Anstey said the organization is working to address such concerns. She enumerated items on the agenda aimed at bettering the condition of all people, such as the Poverty Re-education Strategy paper and a dialogue about HIV/AIDS. "We hope that these groups will also come to listen to what the bank is doing to fight poverty," Anstey said. "We would welcome people sitting around tables, as opposed to [being] in the streets." Groups in the Mobilization for Global Justice call for environmental protection, raising living standards and better distribution of wealth, especially through debt forgiveness for poor nations. Organized labor has joined in their calls for improved conditions for workers around the world and opposition to permanent normal trading relations with China. "The labor movement has realized over the last six or eight years ... that we really need to reach out into the community if the labor movement is going to achieve its goals," said David Richardson of the American Federation of Government Employees. "For the longest time, we felt that we were speaking for the great majority of people, and yet our numbers were dwindling." With the violence in Seattle still fresh in memory, protest group leaders Tuesday pledged the use of "non-violent education and direct-action methods," including marches, teach-ins, musical performances and staged rallies. "There was no violence in Seattle, save the violence done by police to people and protesters in the street," Bloch said. "There was property destruction. ... Here in Washington, D.C., we have non-violence guidelines which include a guideline of no property destruction." The groups plan to meet in Washington on April 8 to begin a week of events ranging from a rally against granting China permanent normal trading status to a "teach-in on the devastating effects of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank," Bloch said. "It's going to be a mix of styles. You'll probably see everything from a Palm Sunday service to a street festival," Bloch said. "You'll probably see lockdowns, which are different mechanisms for shutting off streets or buildings that we want closed down." April 16 and 17 are slated for "non-violent direct action and protest" at the World Bank/IMF meetings. While the protest methods may vary, their adoption has surged across an emerging broad coalition, said Ruth Caplan from the Alliance for Democracy. "The holding above all else [of] economic values is something that is being rejected in this country all across the political spectrum," Caplan said. **************************************** Washington Post Wednesday, March 15, 2000; Page B03 IMF Foes Plan Massive Demonstration Leaders of a planned protest against policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund predicted yesterday that tens of thousands of demonstrators will converge on Washington on April 16 and 17 to prevent top officials of the organizations from holding scheduled meetings. The campaign, called the Mobilization for Global Justice, is led by many groups that blocked ministers of the World Trade Organization from meeting in November and Decemberin Seattle. Saying they are drawing strength from the "spirit of Seattle," the demonstrators will use nonviolent civil disobedience to keep officials from entering meetings and possibly trap them in their hotels, said Nadine Bloch, spokeswoman for the groups. In Seattle, much of downtown was paralyzed, and some protesters smashed store windows. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and they arrested hundreds. Bloch said the Washington demonstrators would pledge nonviolence and promise not to damage property. But organizers cannot regulate every person's actions, she said. **************************************** Reuters IMF and World Bank targeted for April protests. By Mark Egan 03/14/2000 Reuters English News Service WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - Activists will converge on the streets of Washington in April to disrupt a meeting of the International Monetary Fund but will avoid the violence seen at the WTO summit in Seattle, organisers said on Tuesday. The World Trade Organisation's Seattle summit last December was marked by looting and clashes between police and protesters, but organisers of April's demonstrations say this will not happen in Washington. "We want to be engaged in nonviolent direct action and ... we will not condone the destruction of property or the hurting of individuals," Rev. Grayland Hagler of the Plymouth United Church of Christ told a news briefing. That notion was echoed by others in the Mobilisation for Global Justice coalition, which is organizing the protest on April 16 and 17 to coincide with the IMF and World Bank's Spring meetings. But Nadine Black said: "We cannot control the masses of people who come to Washington and cannot take responsibility for people who act outside of our guidelines." The activists, a coalition of environmentalists, religious groups, labour unions, students, anarchists and others, believe the IMF and World Bank have deepened poverty in poor countries through ill-conceived economic policies. Organisers are hoping thousands will descend on the capital in April for a week of activities culminating in mass protests aimed at shutting down the IMF and World Bank meetings in similar fashion to the way the WTO's Seattle meeting was disrupted in December. Many of those who were involved in the Seattle actions are taking part in organising the April demonstration which they view as a sequel to Seattle. World Bank President James Wolfensohn told reporters on Tuesday, "I think demonstration is useful and I will never stop it, but I prefer to sort it out in discussion." Washington police have said they will accommodate the protests but will not tolerate violence or property destruction of any kind. The coalition meets every Tuesday night at a local university to hammer out ideas for the April protests. Despite the assertions of peaceful intent, some at the Tuesda meetings have said property destruction is a valuable political tool - leading to fears that the scenes in Seattle could be repeated in Washington. DEBT BURDEN Critics believe the economic conditions that come with IMF and World Bank loans have saddled poor nations with a debt burden which stymies growth and makes funding vital services such as health, education and sanitation near impossible. Kevin Danaher , of San Francisco's Global Exchange, said the two lending agencies demand poor nations comply with "policies designed in Washington and Wall Street." "Policies designed with no consultation of the grass-roots people of that particular country cannot in any way lead to the elimination of poverty," Danaher said. "It's like having the guy who never rides the bus running the mass transit system." The coalition wants the IMF and World Bank to cancel all debts owed to them and to cease foisting austere economic policies on poor nations. They are also seeking reparation for poor nations for the damage they say the lending bodies caused through bad lending. They also want any IMF or World Bank official found to have been involved in corruption to be prosecuted. The coalition is planning a series of events starting on April 8, including conferences, seminars, street festivals and religious services culminating on April 16 and 17 when they hope thousands will take to the streets and shut down the IMF-World Bank meetings. Dow Jones Activist Groups Seek To Shut Down April IMF Meetings 03/14/2000 Capital Markets Report By Jonathan Nicholson WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Attempting to build on their protests in Seattle last year,representatives of activists groups will march in Washington in hopes of disrupting the mid-April meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. "In Seattle, we showed that people power can take on the instruments of corporate globalization - and win," said Kevin Danaher, an activist with Global Exchange, one of 19 groups sponsoringdemonstrations as a consortium called Mobilization for Global Justice. "In April, in Washington, D.C., we will demonstrate that the IMF and World Bank have not alleviated global poverty; instead they have exacerbated it." Activist groups demonstrated in Seattle, disrupting the Nov. 30-Dec. 4 World Trade Organization meeting. Riots associated with the protests caused $2.5 million in damage and led to the arrest of 500 demonstrators. The tools the demonstrators used in Seattle, what they called "mass non-violent direct action," will also be on display here, organizers said. The World Bank and IMF meetings are set for April 16 and April 17, a Sunday and a Monday, respectively. "We are calling for a shutdown of the Bank and IMF meetings and we are also having demonstrations all around the city in regards to that," said Nadine Bloch, one of the event organizers, at a packed press conference held at the National Press Club. "It may be that some of the IMF and Bank officials cannot get to their meetings," she said. Protesters Denounce "Elite" Officials The weekend protests are seen as the culmination of programs beginning a week ahead of time. According to a flyer promoting the event, there will be a gathering on the Mall on April 9 to call for cancellation of poor country debt; a religiously-oriented "stations of the the cross" dramatization on April 11, beginning at the Capitol; and a rally to oppose the expansion of the WTO on April 12. "There will also be significant activities for people who do not wish to risk arrest," according to the flyer. The groups denied, however, that their demonstrations led to violence in Seattle or are likely to cause violence here. Bloch said the violence in Seattle was caused by police officers, not protesters. Also, she said demonstrators affiliated with Mobilization for Global Justice would be under guidelines that prohibit property violence. The groups argue the international financial institutions have hurt many developing countries by imposing restrictive economic policies upon them in return for loans. Danaher said too often the economic programs are the result of "elite" officials in Third World Countries working with out-of-touch officials in Washington. "It's like the guy who never rides the bus, let's have him design the mass transit system," he said. -By Jonathan Nicholson; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9255; jonathan.nicholson@dowjones.com ****************************************** AP Online March 14, 2000; Tuesday 7:26 PM, Eastern Time PROTESTERS DENOUNCE IMF MEETINGS BYLINE: HARRY DUNPHY Opponents of globalization of the world economy threatened Tuesday to try to shut down meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank next month, but said they wanted to avoid the violence that paralyzed Seattle during last year's World Trade Organization session. Both institutions said they were prepared to talk with the protesters but were drawing up contingency plans to prevent disruptions of their sessions here on April 16 and 17 that draw finance ministers, central bank governors and other officials from 182 nations. The activists said they expected tens of thousands of people from around the United States and abroad to come to the capital for demonstrations that will include blocking streets or buildings in an effort to prevent officials from attending their meetings. They will also hold teach-ins, parades with giant puppets ridiculing the IMF and World Bank from April 9-17 to build on the momentum they said they established in Seattle. They will lobby members of Congress on their opposition to the globalization of the world economy, as well on issues such as debt forgiveness for the world's poorest nations. The protest groups view the IMF and the World Bank, both based in Washington, as institutions whose programs have failed these countries while enriching corporations and degrading the environment. Demonstrators, including U.S. labor unions, will use the occasion to fight the Clinton administration's efforts to secure congressional approval of normal trade relations with China. One of the organizers, Nadine Block of the Mobilization for Global Justice, the umbrella group for more than 250 organizations involved, said, ''nonviolence and no property destruction are guidelines being emphasized in training sessions'' for those who will lead the protests. Asked at a news conference if officials would be blocked in their hotels as they were in Seattle, Block replied, ''It's possible.'' Graylan Hagler, a minister at the Plymouth Congregation of the United Church of Christ in Washington, said he was concerned about reports District of Columbia police had received riot control equipment and training. ''We are committed to nonviolence but we hope the police are equally committed to protecting the rights of free speech,'' he said. District police said they have put together a team to prepare for the demonstrators and will not allow the capital to be shut down. Police Chief Charles Ramsey has attended a recent FBI seminar on the lessons of the Seattle disorder. In a speech at the National Press Club, World Bank President James Wolfensohn defended his organization's record, admitting some mistakes had been made but a lot of good had been done as well. Replying to a question about the planned protests, he said ''Demonstrating is useful but I would prefer sorting things out in discussions.'' He has met several times in the past with nongovernment organizations critical of the bank. IMF spokesman Thomas Dawson said, ''We are reaching out and look forward to talking to anyone who wants to talk to us. We have attempted to maintain a dialogue and some (groups) do respond.'' He said these efforts would continue but as a precaution the IMF, which organizes the spring meetings, had held talks with local authorities to develop contingency plans if protesters try to shut down the meetings. Dawson and other IMF officials have declined to go into detail on security arrangements but said they have to be sensitive given what happened in Seattle. _ On the Net: Mobilization for Global Justice Web site: www.a16.org; International Monetary Fund Web site: www.imf.org; The World Bank Group Web site: www.worldbank.org ***************************************************** Agence France Presse March 15, 2000, Wednesday 3:14 AM, Eastern Time Anti World Bank, IMF activists say thousands will rally in DC next month BYLINE: Nathaniel Harrison DATELINE: WASHINGTON, March 14 BODY: Thousands of demonstrators will pour into the streets of Washington next month to stage non-violent direct action protests against the World Bank and the IMF, organizers predicted here Tuesday. The Mobilization for Global Justice, grouping organized labor, human rights and environmental activists, and faith-based movements, said its two days of protests April 16-17 will target the annual spring meetings of World Bank and International Monetary Fund policymakers. The coalition said its actions would include teach-ins, marches and street theater. "We're calling for a shut-down of the IMF and Bank meetings," organizer Nadine Bloch told a press conference here. "And it may be that some IMF and Bank officials may not be able to get to their meetings" and could find themselves stuck in their hotels. But she stressed that the Mobilization is also committed to non-violence and does not condone property destruction. "We cannot take responsibility for people who do things outside those guidelines," she said. "That's the responsibility of the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. We lay that down at their doorstep because they're the ones that perpetuate violence against people every minute of every day." Activists here hope to build on momentum generated in Seattle, Washington last December when a massive mobilization disrupted a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization. They are now taking aim at the World Bank and the IMF, whose policies and projects they charge have impoverished and exploited millions of people in developing countries and have devastated the environment. "The record of the IMF and the World Bank is one of unmitigated failure," said Njoki Njoroge Njehu, director of the 50 Years Is Enough Network, one of the main sponsors of the demonstrations. "Their harsh austerity programs and failed megaprojects have disqualified them from any future role in development. It is time to shrink these institutions." The two lending bodies have been "complicit" with multinational corporations in promoting profit-driven projects at the expense of workers' rights and environmental safeguards, according to the coalition. Pressed by the Fund and the Bank to institute economic reform, poor countries have been forced to slash spending on education and health care, it said in a statement. Stung by criticism of their handling of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, where the IMF in particular was faulted for having advocated higher interest rates to stabilize currencies, the Bank and the Fund have lately stressed the importance of poverty reduction and social spending in their programs. In a study released here Tuesday, the Bank said its lending of three billion dollars to community-based development around the world has attracted an additional five billion dollars from donor governments and other agencies. As a result, it added, more than 60 countries have established social development projects that have improved schools and health services and upgraded water supplies and local roads. IMF officials have answered their critics by pointing to a turnaround in the economies of once-struggling Asian nations, insisting that restoring stability demanded harsh -- but ultimately effective -- measures. But activists with Mobilization for Global Justice see the Bank and the Fund as underpinning a corporate-driven campaign for economic globalization. "They say keep your country open," noted Kevin Danaher, an author with the group Global Exchange. "Open to what? Open means open to the penetration of big transnational corporations that are interested in one thing and one thing only -- profit maximization. So they'll cut down the trees, over-fish your waters and rip out your minerals and leave poverty and environmental devastation behind." Laura Jones 2030 Center 1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 Voice: (202) 822-6526 Fax: (202) 822-1199 Web: www.2030.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To Post a message, send it to: a16-international-planning@eGroups.com To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: a16-international-planning-unsubscribe@eGroups.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Offer-Earn 300 Points from MyPoints.com for trying @Backup Get automatic protection and access to your important computer files. Install today: http://click.egroups.com/1/2344/3/_/314851/_/953144940/ -- Create a poll/survey for your group! -- http://www.egroups.com/vote?listname=a16-international-planning&m=1