Posted on 10/03/2004 12:00:57 PM PDT by Libloather
28 People Arrested Outside White House
Protests Coincide With World Bank, IMF Meetings
POSTED: 8:09 pm EDT October 2, 2004
UPDATED: 8:38 pm EDT October 2, 2004
WASHINGTON -- Twenty-eight people were arrested near the White House Saturday during a protest of the Iraq war.
About 300 people gathered between the White House and Washington Monument.
U.S. Park Police said they arrested those who illegally crossed a barrier between the White House and the protest.
The 28 people who were arrested were trying to deliver a cardboard box to the White House. The box contained the names of people killed in the Iraq war.
The protesters had marched from Arlington National Cemetery. Many were family members of soldiers in Iraq.
In the meantime, about a dozen protesters set up a tent in a small, heavily guarded park across the street from the World Bank.
Three days of talks are wrapping up Sunday with the annual meetings of World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
World finance leaders on Saturday said they agreed that debt relief to Iraq and the poorest nations was a priority, but they disagree on how to do it.
The United States is hoping to win support for its plan to essentially wipe out the existing debt burden on poor countries. Those nations would then lose out on some new loans.
But most aid groups prefer a British plan for debt relief, which includes getting wealthy nations to commit more resources.
On Saturday, the leaders also said high oil prices are threatening global prosperity and called on oil producers to boost supplies to bring prices down.
This year for the first time, Chinese officials are sitting in on part of the Group of Seven meeting, which is taking place to coincide with the World Bank and IMF meetings.
The Bush administration said China has made a serious commitment to overhaul currency policy but has refused to say when it might stop linking the value of its money to the U.S. dollar.
Many private economists believe it could take years for China to establish a free-floating currency and give up the benefits of tight control.
Representatives of the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and Canada will meet through the weekend.
Make that a felony and get these goobers off the voter lists...
Arrested? Once again mooching off my tax dollars, I see...
How about really big tazers? Or some of foam that hardens rock solid? We could move them to the park and save on statue costs.
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