More than 100 protesters upset with the way world leaders have handled the economic crisis clashed with police today outside the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, according to AP. Authorities used batons and pepper spray when activists tried to march onto a prohibited street, and several people were pushed to the ground by police. The protesters swarmed officers unexpectedly, and police had to respond, said D.C. police Capt. Jeffrey Harold. A 22-year-old man accused of using pepper spray on an officer during the scuffle was arrested, D.C. police said. Before the demonstrations began, police arrested six people and accused them of vandalizing two banks, an incident that authorities think was linked to the protests. Protesters claimed police responded without warning. «This was very excessive,» said the Rev. Don Thompson, 73, who was observing the protest on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild, a left-wing legal advocacy group. «They didn't give us a warning to get off the street.»
