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CNN Saturday Morning News

faced With Protests, IMF Scales Back Meeting in Washington

Aired September 08, 2001 - 09:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, concern over violent protests has prompted the International Monetary Fund to drastically scale down its agenda for its upcoming meeting in Washington. Instead of the usual week-long talks, the IMF and world (sic) will meet only two days at the end of this month. Some protests regarding that gathering are already going on in Washington.

CNN's justice correspondent Kelli Arena tells us why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Students at George Washington University protesting the school's decision to close down for five days later this month. It's the most drastic step taken yet as the nation's capital prepares for what police estimate could be as many as 100,000 anti-globalization protesters -- that's three times the number that disrupted the city a year and a half ago.

Students argue it's an overreaction that makes it harder for some to take part in the demonstrations.

ELEIZA BRAUN, STUDENT: This is not a national emergency. They are not evacuating the city. They are evacuating GW's freedom of speech.

ARENA: The university's president says Washington police asked him to close the school because it's just blocks away from World Bank headquarters.

STEPHEN TRACHTENBERG, PRESIDENT, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: They think that their capacity for crowd control will be enhanced if they don't have to be worrying about George Washington University students and faculty and staff.

ARENA: Police security measures include an unprecedented nine- foot-tall fence around several miles of the downtown area.

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: We're going to take whatever steps we feel are necessary to ensure the safety of our people, the delegates and the protesters. And if you look at the history of these protests, they've been very, very violent.

ARENA: In July, police in Genoa, Italy, were not only firebombed, but businesses were looted, causing more than $15 million damage. Even so, protest groups say police are overreacting.

ROBERT WEISMANN, MOBILIZATION FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE: The threat of violence is not primarily on our minds. We're focused very much on the issues we're trying to raise, asking the IMF and the World Bank to open their meetings, asking them -- demanding, really -- that they cancel the debts owed them by the impoverished countries.

ARENA: Law enforcement officials concede most demonstrators are peaceful, but say with each new protest, a minority is growing increasingly violent.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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