Protestors gather against the IFIs

Jubilee campaigners from around the world join the protests on Saturday

A small but well-organised contingent of protestors marched on the World Bank and IMF today, with chants of 'The Bank Must Go', 'Whose streets? Our streets' and 'Drop the Debt'. Debt campaigners joined around 200-300 diverse range of activists and anarchists on the streets of Washington DC Saturday afternoon, with whistles, drums and banners in a noisy display of protest at the Bank and Fund's policies.

It was in some ways strange to be amongst them, having spent most of the past few days inside the sleek state-of-the-art buildings that house these institutions! And here were only a few hundred protestors out on the streets, and almost as many police out in force, with barricades keeping anyone from getting too close to the Bank and Fund HQs. But it was a refreshing change from the sometimes-slippery lobbying meetings, so we joined in the chants with gusto!

Later there were some incidents, following on from the night before's protests in Georgetown, where at least one woman was injured. The police presence around the Bank and IMF since has been enormous, with extra security measures for all delegates. It makes you wonder whether it's all strictly necessary, given the small scale of the protests.