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Opinions After The Summit Citizens of Prague Against Violent Demonstrations Divided Over Prague Police Reactions to Demontrations Against The IMF and The World Bank Prague 30th of September 2000 In Tuesday September 26th demonstrations against IMF and World Bank turned to violent. Till the late evening police forces were fighting against protestors who first unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the meeting of IMF and WB in the Prague Congress Centrum and turned their energy into devastating banks and shops with globally known names in the nearby downtown. When respondents were asked whether do they tend to agree or disagree with those who are demonstrating or have demonstrated against the IMF/WB meeting 82 % of respondents tend to disagree and only 17 % agree. It has been substantial drop in public support for protestors when compared with other Gallup poll conducted in Prague just before the event. (Before demonstrations turned to violent 29 % of local people tend to support them). The reason why protesters were loosing support has been obvious from the respondents’ answers to the question asking reason for the disagreement. While only 1 % of respondents disagreed because of protestors’ opinions 68 % of respondents disagreed because of violent form of protest and the rest 31 % disagreed with both protestor’s opinion and violent form of protest. Public is divided over the opinion whether police was handling the situation properly. 51 % of respondents considered police reaction to demonstration as just adequate while the other 49 % considered police reactions undersized and suggested even stronger police reactions against such violent demonstrations. There was virtually nobody among 430 respondents who would considered police actions against protestors oversized even not among those 2 % of respondents who have personally participated in the demonstrations. Although the IMF/WB meeting itself as well as demonstrations and street riots disrupted usual transportation system in the city to large extend majority of local people was not hurt. About a quarter of respondents (26 %) however reported troubles in Prague in commuting in the last days caused by the summit or the demonstrations. It it was relatively lower figure in comparison with 40 % of respondents who were expecting troubles with commuting in a Gallup poll conducted before the events. The summit and the events around have not basically influenced the opinion of Prague citizens on the role those international financial organizations are having in the world. Still more Prague citizens believe the IMF and the WB help rather the rich than the poor. The share of those who do not know has increased.
Do you tend to agree or disagree with those who are demonstrating or have demonstrated against the IMF/WB meeting? (In September 21-25 poll the wording of the questions was: Do you tend to agree or disagree with those who are demonstrating or planning to demonstrate against the IMF/WB meeting?).
Why do you disagree? (Asked only those who disagree with those who are demonstrating or have demonstrated against the IMF/WB meeting).
And you personally have you demonstrated against IMF/WB meeting?
Do you think that police responses against demonstrators were oversized just adequate or undersized?
Did you have personally troubles in Prague in commuting in the last days caused by the summit or the demonstrations?
In your opinion international financial organizations such as IMF and the WB help the poor help the rich help both poor and rich or help neither poor nor rich?
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