What are the reasons for the demonstrations in Seattle, Prague, Nice, etc?
The policies imposed by the IMF and the WB on those countries receiveing their “aid” are the same as those that capitalists all over the world use to increase their profits: attacks on state education and health care, redundancies and wage cuts, low levels of pensions and other benefits, reforms of the labour laws, privatisation of publicly owned companies and utilities, etc. In the poorest countries these policies are applied at an even faster rate and are combined with the looting of their natural resources by the multinationals. As a result, the gap between the rich and poor increases, as do poverty levels and the destruction of the.environment the world over. The protests which started in Seattle and have been taking place in every city where the IMF, the WB, the WTO and other international financial institutions have met are a reflection of the growing anger of many youth and workers.
