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CHICAGO & PRAGUE (Islam Online & News Agencies) - Thousands of demonstrators are pouring into the Czech Republic to protest the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank governors in Prague starting this week. The IMF and the World Bank want to showcase the success of the Eastern European region since the fall of communism. Protesters want to bring attention to their different causes while the Czech government wants to prove it has the ability to handle the any potential demonstrator disturbances. And the Czech people are caught in the middle. The prospect of tens of thousands of Westerners streaming into the country to hoist barricades confuses most Czechs, especially when the targets are institutions they associate with capitalism. "Czechs do not understand the rebellion against Nike and McDonald's because they never made the transition in the first place," said analyst Alex Zaitchik They are not happy with schools cancellations or the massive police force presence on the streets, he said. Barely a decade after the fall of communism, many Czechs who bitterly remember the former communist regime are not ready for complex arguments against global financial lending practices. They also remember the lack of choice that belied the communist rhetoric of bounty and freedom. Insofar as Czechs see the anti-globalization protesters as threats to their relatively newfound freedom to consume, they are resistant to their message, to say the least. And the new generation of Czech capitalists has no qualms about the unbridled market. Many of them support Czech opposition leader Vaclav Klaus, arguably the last Thatcherite in European politics, and they are not interested in rocking boats, Zaitchik argued. Who is coming? Protesters linked to the umbrella group Initiative Against Economic Globalization (INPEG) arrived in Prague. The group describes itself as "a loose coalition of various Czech environmental, human rights and autonomist/anarchist groups, organizations and individuals who are ready to stand up critically against the summit of the world financial oligarchy." Spokeswoman Alice Dvorska said the group expected between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters to take to the streets, depending on how many were allowed into the country. The group, which was set up in Prague last summer, has planned 10 days of non-violent demonstrations in the city, starting on September 20th. There is also a counter-summit opening on September 22nd, addressing issues such as debt, trade union movements and globalization. The main day for demonstrations will be September 26th, known to protest groups as S26 or the "Global Day of Action". Organizers say there will be a carnival atmosphere on the day, with samba music and other street performances. One group mobilizing on the Internet is the S26 Collective, which was set up a few months ago. Action groups support it across Europe, including Milan-based Ya Basta!, and the French anti-capitalist group Reseau sans Titre (Network without Title), which is touring France by caravan before and after the summit. "We're going there non-violently and we'll be as non-violent as possible - it depends on the reaction of the police and the Czech state," the group said. Most protest groups declare themselves strictly against violence, but following clashes between police and demonstrators at global financial meetings in Seattle and Washington, neither side is taking any chances. Police have launched a massive security operation, with 5,000 soldiers standing by and 11,000 police to be deployed - more than a quarter of the Czech Republic's entire police force. The Ministry of Interior has cancelled school next week and recommended that the young and elderly stay inside and hoard food. However, much of the population does not need prodding to think negatively of what they see as leftist tourists that will make their city unlivable for a week. |
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