Anti-capitalist Protests in Prague took place during the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

(IMF) and

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

summit on September 27, 2000, in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, capital of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. This protest followed similar protests in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Thousands of activists who travelled from all over the world protested and some clashed with police in the streets of Prague for several days. About 12,000 demonstrators were involved in the protests and over 900 people were detained. 64 policemen and 20 demonstrators were injured in the events. Various

anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists seek to combat the worst effects of capitalism and to eventually replace capitalism ...

protesters saw these institutions as one of the reasons for the economic problems faced by the

third world The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...

. Anger was directed against the way the IMF and World Bank pushed for a policy of directing power to the markets and multinational companies. Most radical activists tried to prevent the opening of the summit by blocking access roads to the Prague Congress Centre. There were barricades in the streets and camouflaged protestors threw

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...

s and cobblestones. There were also reported attacks on journalists and breaking of shop windows in the city center.

Tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

and

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining. ...

s were used to force back a breakaway group of activists that attempted to reach the summit venue to shut down the meetings of the global financial institutions. In spite of the large police presence, the protesters succeeded in breaking up the last day of the summit. Additionally this action was marked by the emergence of both the "pink bloc" and the "white overall" tactics used by the Italian radical group '' Ya Basta!''. Many video activist groups from across the EU joined up to share footage and produce a number of documentaries. UK-based Undercurrents produce
Revolting in Prague
giving a street view of the various blockade groups.

References

{{Anti-globalization History of Prague

2000 in the Czech Republic 2000s in Prague September 2000 in Europe Riots and civil disorder in the Czech Republic