panic in Prague

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Tue Sep 26 13:40:50 PDT 2000


<http://praha.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=970>

MC reporter inside the IMF/WB congress center reports on panic among delegates (english) by anonymous 1:04pm Tue Sep 26 '00

An IMC reporter inside the IMF/WB Congress center notes the mood among delegates as demonstrators almost enter the meeting area.

An IMC reporter with "official" IMF/World Bank press credentials reports from inside the restricted zone at around 16:30 pm, when demonstrators almost forced their way inside the doors of the Congress building, that officials and delegates were "panic stricken" as rocks flew toward police and over the head of people in suits. One officer was hit in the head and a different officer threw a rock that hit a demonstrator in the stomach. Rocks also hit a CNN automobile, according to a CNN employee in the Congress elevator. The virtual infiltration finally ended when police used tear gas to clear the crowd of activists, but the panic inside the restricted zone lasted well into the evening. Delegates filed into the subway just after sun down. The reporter believes that with a bit more coordination and some gas masks critics of globalization could have stormed the meetings.



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