A thousand red balloons disappeared into thin air over York as protest group Jubilee 2000 stepped up its campaign to cancel Third World debt.
Each balloon represented £1,000 which is lost in interest every hour by African countries. Saturday's mass release, was attended by York MP Hugh Bayley, Pauline Green MEP and the Sheriff of York, Coun Eurig Thomas.
Jubilee 2000 is calling on the European Union, World Bank and International Monetary Fund to lift the burden of unpayable debt from poor countries to mark the new millennium.
Spokesman Chris Cullwick said the meeting of European finance ministers in York gave Jubilee 2000 a special opportunity to draw attention to its campaign.
"The poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South America are in a debt trap," he said. "The debt is unpayable and is increasing. Education and health care suffers. Each year 250,000 children die as a direct result."
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