Criticizing the luxury goods sold in Georgetown’s affluent neighborhood, two activist groups are planning a march through the town’s business district tonight during a protest of an annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in downtown D.C., leading the university to advise students to take caution.

Led by October Rebellion and DC Indymedia, two leftist groups opposed to the IMF and World Bank, protestors plan to assemble at Washington Circle in Foggy Bottom at 9 p.m. and march to Georgetown from there, according to the protest’s Web site. Organizers have not specified a marching route, although October Rebellion suggested on their Web site making the intersection of 30th and M Streets a preliminary destination.

Protesters have chosen to target Georgetown because of the area’s many upscale retail establishments, as well as the affluence and political prominence of its residents.

“Forced and other ultra-cheap labor remains the driving force of today’s corporate capitalism, providing the luxury goods now displayed in Georgetown,” said an anonymous article on DC Indymedia’s Web site. The headline of the article referred to Georgetown as “the home of today’s global slave masters.”

A safety alert sent last night from the Office of University Safety said the demonstration is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. DPS expects the march to end in Georgetown’s commercial district.

Second District Metropolitan Police Department Officer Josh Aldiva said that there will be an increased police presence throughout the District on Friday, but that no special precautions will be taken in Georgetown.

“MPD’s going to be protecting the whole city,” he said.

He added that in the past, protests at the World Bank and IMF’s annual meetings have been relatively peaceful. “I don’t recall any violent incidents,” he said.

The university advised students via the safety alert to “consider avoiding the area, as road closures and traffic delays are expected.”

In lieu of a detailed plan of action, protest organizers are calling for general disorder in the Georgetown area, and the October Rebellion Web site encourages “creativity” and “diversity of tactics.”

The Board of Governors of the World Bank and the IMF meet annually with delegates from around the world “to discuss a range of issues related to poverty reduction, international economic development and finance,” according to the World Bank’s Web site.

These annual meetings are held in the District two out of every three years and in a member country outside the U.S. every third year. About 10,000 people typically attend, including 1,000 journalists and 5,000 guests from private businesses and non-profit organizations.

Protest organizers have not specified how many participants they expect. October Rebellion said on its Web site that 25 organizations, ranging in character from Korean Americans for Fair Trade to the NorthEast Anarchist Network, have endorsed the protest.