Protesting At World Bank

SEVERAL PROTESTS are planned against the World Bank’s Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) in Oslo from 24-26 June.

Trond-Sverre Kolltveit, Norway

ABCDE will discuss global poverty but as “Oslo2002” – a network organising the biggest demonstration on 24 June – points out: “The World Bank is one institution responsible for global poverty”.

Nine trade unions and 35 other organisations are in the network. The demo has support from Oslo’s transport workers and social workers, while the TUC in Oslo has donated to the network. Attac in Denmark is supporting the demonstration.

However, the authorities have organised a scare campaign and the police threaten to stop demonstrators travelling from Sweden and Denmark.

The protests’ main slogan is: “Our world is not for sale – Stop the World Bank’s undemocratic market policies”.

Oslo2002 is campaigning against World Bank policies to undermine trade union and workers’ rights, for cancellation of Third World debt and against destruction of the environment.

CWI members from Norway and Sweden will be there campaigning for a socialist alternative.