Citing the disruptiveness of protests and a fear of violence, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have decided to cram their annual meetings into two days next month in Washington, D.C., instead of a week. When the meetings last occurred, in April 2000, police arrested more than 600 protesters. Just to make sure that the delegates from 183 nations are safely tucked away from the scary, nasty demonstrators, the IMF and World Bank have moved portions of the meetings from a suburban Washington-area hotel to the organizations’ headquarters, about a mile from the White House. Protesters say the changes are designed to stifle dissent, and they may sue over plans to erect barriers to keep them away from the meetings.
