October 2, 2009
A demonstrator in Turkey protested Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund by throwing his shoe at him during a conference at Istanbul Bilgi University and shouting “IMF, get out of Turkey!”. The protest reminded people of Muntadar al-Zaidi (Iraqian Journalist) who hurled his shoe to the then US president, George W Bush in Iraq 2008.
The man was part of a group protesting at IMF involvement in Turkish politics and was an isolated incident however there were wide range protests in many areas of Istanbul including Taksim.
Turkey, which is host country for the 2009 annual meeting of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, is negotiating for a new loan from the fund.
“This incident shows what Turkish people really think of the IMF,” said Batuhan Bal, a law student at Istanbul Commerce University. “We need space between ourselves and the IMF.”
Turkey has had nearly 20 loan programs from the IMF which the general public sees as an extra debt on the $8.5 billion already owed and is seen as a symbol of foreign pressure.
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To get an IMF loan, Turkey would have to reduce its deficit by cutting government spending or boosting taxes more than the government wants.
Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who was a veteran French politician spoke of the event by saying “I was glad to meet students and hear their views,” he said in a statement. “One thing I learned, Turkish students are polite. They wait until the end to complain.”
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