Climate protests disrupt ongoing World Bank Summit in DC

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) meeting that is currently underway in Washington DC witnessed a week of disruption by protesters urging the agencies to “cancel all debt”. 

On Thursday, the protesters interrupted the regularly scheduled summit business to demand the financial institutions cancel the Global South debt and stop fuelling the climate crisis now. 

According to a report by independent news outlet Common Dreams, more direct action was set to go down yesterday, dubbed “World Bank Action Day”. At noon local time, the Glasgow Actions Team was to lead a protest outside the World Bank headquarters in DC to denounce the institution’s continued financing of fossil fuel projects. 
Common Dreams reported that the members of the Glasgow Actions Team and other groups drowned out a Thursday afternoon press conference by leaders from the Group of 20 nations by shouting, banging makeshift drums, blowing airhorns and vuvuzelas and generally rousing a racket.

“We’re tired of the World Bank defending their funding for fossil fuels,” Glasgow Actions Team Director Andrew Nazdin said in a statement, as reported by Common Dreams. 

“We’re tired of their false promises. So, today, we’re drowning out the press conference to say that it’s time for the bank to stop funding fossil fuels and throw their full strength behind a just transition to clean energy.” 
Earlier on Thursday, activists from the DC, Philadelphia and New York branches of Extinction Rebellion joined with peace activists from CodePink and other organisations in demanding the IMF and World Bank cancel developing world debt.

So, today, we’re drowning out the press conference to say that it’s time for the bank to stop funding fossil fuels and throw their full strength behind a just transition to clean energy.” 

Earlier on Thursday, activists from the DC, Philadelphia and New York branches of Extinction Rebellion joined with peace activists from CodePink and other organisations in demanding the IMF and World Bank cancel developing world debt. 

Activists blocked entrances to conference buildings and staged sit-ins where they beat drums and chanted “cancel the debt”. “The Global South must urgently adapt to the climate emergency so that it can protect its people from a crisis they did nothing to cause,” said Extinction Rebellion Washington, DC. 

“But it can’t do this while it remains heavily indebted. Failure to cancel the debt = murder.” On Wednesday evening, more than 100 bicyclists with ShutDownDC and more than 10 allied groups took to the streets of the nation’s capital for a rush-hour demonstration calling out the IMF and World Bank’s failure to adequately address the climate and debt crises.

“The World Bank has poured US $ 15 billion into fossil fuels since the Paris climate accord and the IMF imposes a global economic order that favours corporate power over human needs,” said Basav Sen, a member of ShutDownDC and Arm in Arm DC.

“It’s fitting that people on bicycles, on wheelchairs, on foot and other forms of nonmotorised transport are confronting them as they try to celebrate,” Sen added.  “It’s a beautiful metaphor of people power versus fossil-fuelled corporate power.”

Another bicycle protester told Agence France-Presse that it believes that the World Bank and IMF must immediately cancel all debt. That is particularly important for countries in the Global South.  “We believe that they must pay climate and colonial reparations to those same countries.”

Some activists also took aim at World Bank President David Malpass, who recently refused to acknowledge that burning fossil fuels causes climate change.