International Socialists

1999

30 November: Seattle, USA Several days of mass protests against WTO meeting

December: Nigeria  5,000 strike against deregulation of oil prices

December: Argentina  Strike wave against IMF/World Bank-imposed "reforms"

 

 

2000

15 January: Ecuador  Huge demonstrations by workers and peasants against IMF/World Bank "reforms"

22 January: Ecuador  Protesters occupy Congress; government collapses

January: Cochabamba, Bolivia  Two months of protests against

200% water price increase effectively shut down the country's third largest city for four days; the rises are a result of an IMF-imposed "structural adjustment" programme

February: South Africa Strike wave against IMF-imposed "reforms" begins

February: La Paz, Bolivia 1,000 demonstrate against IMF "reforms"

March: Costa Rica Protest wave against IMF-imposed privatisation and "reforms"

March: Ochomogo, Costa Rica  Demonstrations against electricity privatisation

March: Hamilton, New Jersey, USA  Demonstrations at IMF/World Bank meeting

April: Bolivia Wave of demonstrations against IMF-imposed "reforms"

16 April: South Africa  Protests outside IMF meeting

18 April: Washington DC, USA 30,000 demonstrate against IMF/World Bank

26 April: Lusaka, Zambia Police attack protesters outside IMF meeting

27 April: Buenos Aires, Argentina  Demonstration against IMF/World Bank and government policies

April: San Jose, Brazil 10,000 demonstrate against IMF/World Bank

April: Nairobi, Kenya March against IMF/World Bank plans

1 May: Worldwide May Day is revitalised as an international day of workers' solidarity; mass protests in many cities

May: Kenya Demonstrations against IMF/World Bank-imposed "reforms" attacked by police

May: Salta region, Argentina  Demonstrations and roadblocks against IMF/World Bank plans

May: Quito, Ecuador  Five week teachers' strike against pay cuts and IMF/World Bank plans begins

May: Windsor, Ontario, Canada 5,000 demonstrate against IMF

15 May: Malawi  Protest against IMF attacked by police

31 May: Argentina 80,000 protest against IMF

9 June: Argentina  24-hour general strike against IMF-imposed labour laws supported by 7.2 million workers

15 June: Ecuador General strike against IMF/World Bank plans

26 June: Honduras  National strike against IMF/World Bank plans

June: Millau, France 50,000 demonstrate to free Jose Bove

June: Paraguay Mass protests and strikes against IMF-imposed "reforms"

June: Nigeria General strike against IMF/World Bank plans

June: Ascunsion, Paraguay General strike and protests against IMF-imposed "reforms"

June: Philadelphia, USA  20,000 demonstrate at Republican Party Convention

July: Okinawa, Japan  5,000 demonstrate against IMF/World Bank

July: Los Angeles, USA  20,000 demonstrate at Democratic Party Convention

3 August: Colombia General strike against IMF/World Bank plans

24 August: Honduras  General strike against IMF-imposed "reforms"

29 August: Argentina Further mass strikes against wage cuts

September: Sao Paolo, Brazil 100,000 demonstrate against IMF/World Bank plans

11-13 September: Melbourne, Australia  S11 - 30,000 successfully blockade WEF

24-28 September: Prague, Czech Republic S26 - 20,000 demonstrate against IMF/World Bank

26 September: Worldwide Solidarity actions with Prague

October: Mexico City 10,000 join demo with anti-capitalist themes

6-7 December: Nice, France Over 100,000, including huge union contingents, protest Euro-summit

 

 

2001

January: Porto Allegre, Brazil Tens of thousands participate in World Social Forum to discuss ways of opposing neoliberalism and gaining progressive social change

27 January: Davos & Zürich, Switzerland  Thousands protest the WEF meeting

30 January-4 February: Ecuador Tens of thousands protest government and IMF policies

20 February: Mali Thousands protest IMF and World Bank

3 March: Trieste, Italy 10,000 protest G8 meeting

4 March: Seoul, South Korea 15,000 protest IMF

9 March: Zanzibar, Tanzania Tens of thousands protest government and IMF policies

11 March: Mexico City Hundreds of thousands take to the streets as Zapatista National Liberation Army enters city

17 March: Naples, Italy  20,000 protest Global Forum

20 March: Nigeria Tens of thousands in nationwide demonstrations and strikes against IMF-imposed "reforms"

5 April: Buenos Aires, Argentina Over 10,000 protest against FTAA

1-16 April: Turkey Over 100,000 take part in wave of anti-IMF protests

14 April: Seoul, South Korea  1,000 take part in anti-IMF action

20-22 April: Quebec City, Canada  Tens of thousands (including at least 50,000 as part of organised union contingents) protest the FTAA; over 450 arrests, 1,000 injured by massive police operation; solidarity actions around the world

1 May: Worldwide Biggest May Day marches for many years; militant demonstrations in hundreds of cities; huge police operation closes down central London; Sydney and Melbourne protesters blockade stock exchanges

15-16 June: Gothenburg, Sweden Tens of thousands protest against George W. Bush and the European Union's meeting; three protester shot in the back by police

June: Papua New Guinea  6 people shot dead in crackdown on mass protests against World Bank and IMF-imposed privatisation policies

20-22 July: Genoa, Italy At least 300,000 take part in huge demonstrations against the G8 meeting; police murder one demonstrator and, in Italy's terrifying "Chilean Night", raid a school, savagely beating sleeping protesters before dragging them off to days of beatings, torture and humiliation - but the movement continues to grow.

 

 

 

Abbreviations

FTAA    Free Trade Area of the Americas

G8        Group of Eight (Most powerful industrialised countries)

IMF       International Monetary Fund

WEF     World Economic Forum

WTO     World Trade Organisation

 

 

This list does not include hundreds of smaller actions. It has been compiled from various sources and in some cases it has not been possible to verify numbers taking part in demonstrations. I am grateful to Tony Hartin for helping to research this information.