A LONE protester scaled the World Bank headquarters in Washington on Monday in a demonstration against an African oil pipeline the bank plans to help finance. Harold Linde of San Francisco — a member of the Rainforest Action Network — used cables forming part of the facade of the glass-fronted building to climb up nine stories. Linde then unfurled a banner bearing a picture of World Bank president James Wolfensohn and the legend “Tax dollars and corruption bring murder and destruction. Stop the Africa oil pipeline.” The World Bank is helping to fund the $3,5-billion pipeline through Chad and Cameroon, which is being built by multinational oil companies Exxon, Shell and Elf. RAN insists the pipeline will have “serious, irreversible environmental repercussions,” destroying rainforest areas, crossing several major rivers, and threatening animal species and indigenous forest peoples such as the Pygmies.