Thousands Protest in Washington D.C.

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, April 22, 2002

Thousands Protest in Washington D.C.

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About 1,000 shouting protesters gathered Sunday outside the downtown headquarters of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, demonstrating against the policies of finance ministers meeting inside.

At one point, about 100 of the protesters moved down a nearby street to block a police car slowly driving by. But they were stopped by police on motorcycles and horseback.

About 400 police at the scene had riot gear at the ready, including helmets and long batons, but did not need to use it. There were no arrests.

The protesters, who originally did not have a permit, were granted one Sunday for a march to the Washington Monument.

Inside the building, world finance officials spent the final day of their meetings focusing on how to more aggressively battle global poverty, including an education initiative intended to get more children worldwide, especially girls, into primary schools.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters marched in the city against causes ranging from globalization to the Bush administration's Mideast policy.

The spring meeting of world financial powers at the World Bank and IMF brought the protesters to Washington, but anti-globalization forces did not seem to mind sharing the stage with other causes.

Especially eager to be heard Saturday were Arab and Muslim marchers who chanted for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.

Protesters carried banners saying "Drop debt, not bombs" and wore T-shirts proclaiming "We are all Palestinians."

Authorities do not provide official crowd figures for demonstrations in Washington, but Police Chief Charles Ramsey gave a rough estimate of 35,000 to 50,000 on Saturday.

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