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Protests mar Davos meeting
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January 29, 2000: 1:53 p.m. ET
Boisterous group smashes windows, starts bonfire; but held in check by police
By Staff Writer Tom Johnson
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DAVOS, Switzerland (CNNfn) - Windows were smashed, signs torn down and several Swiss policemen were injured Saturday as roughly 1,300 demonstrators attempted to disrupt the World Economic Forum here, but a tight wall of police kept the protesters well away from the conference center where President Bill Clinton spoke to the conference a few hours earlier.
Shortly after 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET), several protesters in the boisterous crowd began ripping down and setting fire to several wooden billboards that run along the main promenade in this normally-peaceful town high in the Swiss Alps. President Clinton was not in the conference center when the protests began.
 Police in full riot gear and wicker shields later fired a small number of rubber bullets and used pepper spray to subdue three protesters who tried to advance beyond a fence barrier set up by police along the main road leading to the conference center.
Police spokesman Alois Hafner said two policemen suffered head wounds. He said some demonstrators had also been injured, and that two have been arrested. Police officials said the damage to the town mainly consisted of smashed windows and some damage to cars.
McDonalds a target of protesters
The McDonalds' restaurant that lies near the town's entrance was a particular target as protesters destroyed its signs, smashed its windows using bottles, painted graffiti on the building and carried signs berating the restaurant for killing animals. 
However, the group was kept nearly a mile from the Congress Center near the center of town by two lines of Swiss police, who blocked the road with three police vans with a fence attached to their bumpers.
A small group was initially allowed to progress slowly up the town's main road, but were eventually stopped by police using rubber bullets and pepper spray. Eyewitness said the police largely exercised restraint even as they were being pelted with snowballs from the protesters.
The protesters did remove several steel, waist-high barriers from outside one of the town's many hotels and began ripping down flags, chanting and making speeches, but did not approach the more than 40 police officers standing outside its doors. One protester said the group was fighting against large corporations. (389K WAV) (389K AIFF)
Protests coincide with Clinton speech
The protests were scheduled to coincide with President Clinton's visit to WEF, although the total number of protesters was much higher than expected. Davos is a secluded location with temperatures often falling below 0 degrees - two factors local officials believed would limit the number of protesters to a few hundred.
Earlier in the day, Clinton gave a passionate speech urging more countries to adopt open trade policies. The protests follow similar, but more violent, anti-trade protests in Seattle. Clinton was reportedly in a nearby hotel meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and U.S. business executives and was not in any danger from the protests.
According to CNNfn President Shelby Coffey, who was attending the conference, most of the protesters were young and dressed in ski gear - a popular outfit in this exclusive resort town that typically serves as a winter haven to many of the world's most powerful business and political leaders.
The crowd seemed to represent a hodgepodge of political agendas. Some held signs condemning the use of biogenetics to reproduce identical animals. Others touted environmental concerns. Still others chanted anti-free trade messages.
 But many simply appeared to be enjoying the show. One protester lit several sticks and began juggling them. Another entertained the crowd by placing a flaming stick down his throat. All of this occurred as area residents and visitors stood and watched from sidewalks and rooftops in a peacefully falling snow.
Area residents said they believed most of the protesters were French and Italians. 
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World Economic Forum
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