20 years ago
The summit, attended by 18,000 people from all over the world, was held from September 26 to 29, 2000, at the Congress Hall in Prague. Much criticized by anti-globalization and other activists, the event gave rise to a major protest with demonstrators who came to Prague from various parts of Europe. As a precaution, the government of the Czech Republic organized the largest police mobilization in the history of the country, with over 11,000 officers. Among the activists, who made it known that they wanted to block the exit from the Congress Hall and who called for the suppression of both financial institutions, there were also 1,500 Italian no-globalists. The main focus-points of the protest were the criticism of capitalism and the public debt of the poorest countries. The summit was opened by Václav Havel’s speech, declaring that the solution for the problem of poverty in the world must be considered a common task for all humanity.