Thailand: Bangkok protesters decry IMF and World Bank, warn of destructive capitalism

Demonstrators carried banners , wore masks depicting world leaders and pulled giant floats , including a piggy bank and an octopus symbolising global capitalism . They accused the financial institutions of making decisions that affect local communities without giving residents a meaningful say . Police blocked the march near the meeting venue, while brief scuffles broke out as protesters tried to hang a banner from a pedestrian bridge . Protesters from across Thailand gathered to voice their concerns, rejecting the official forum as a platform where ordinary people would have little influence . They used a giant octopus to symbolise powerful economic interests tightening their grip on local communities and their resources .