62 cities -- in South Africa, the Philippines, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and North America -- joined hands in the February 7th mobilization, in answer to the call from the popular movement in Haiti. This gives new meaning to the slogan, "Think globally, act locally" -- since these 75 far-flung activities, while coordinated behind the same banner and similar demands, were all locally organized. The heartbeat of it all was in Haiti, where nearly 200,000 took to the streets in a massive outpouring in cities and towns all over the country.
Highlights
see photos
• In Durban, South Africa, nearly 300 members of the Abahlali shack dwellers movement traveled from 34 settlements to hold an event at the Kennedy Road settlement Feb. 7 "in support of the shack dwellers of Haiti." They saw video footage of the heavy-caliber killings of Haitian children, men and women in Cite Soleil by an invasion force wearing the Blue Helmets of the U.N., and expressed "hope that networks of solidarity could be developed between shack dwellers under pressure in different countries."
• In Guyana, the women's organization Red Thread picketed a UN office Feb. 7, to protest UN massacres and sexual abuse in Haitian shantytowns. The demonstration took place in front of the United Nations Development Programme office in the capital city of Georgetown.
• In New York City, the Haitian community protested Feb. 7 in front of United Nations headquarters to "demand an end to the occupation, exile and political imprisonment" being imposed upon Haiti. From coast to coast, many US and Canadian cities organized Haiti solidarity activities, including Miami, Boston, Detroit, Montreal, Calgary, Halifax, Windsor, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Sacramento, San Jose, San Diego, Tucson and Philadelphia.
• In Dublin, Ireland, as well as in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, protesters targeted the embassy or consulates of Brazil, which supplies the top commander and many soldiers for the UN military force in Haiti.
• In Rio de Janeiro, 6,000 Brazilian youth and students marched through the city center to demand the immediate withdrawal of Brazil's troops from Haiti. In Argentina, six protest actions called for an end to the UN operation in Haiti, and the immediate return of Argentine UN troops from Haiti.
• In Mexico City, representatives of the National Democratic Convention and the Mexican Federation of Electrical Workers (SME) visited the Haitian Embassy, to protest the ongoing UN attacks on the people of Cite Soleil, and demonstrate support for the demands of the International Day in Solidarity with Haiti.
• In Manila, Gabriela, the largest women's federation in the Philippines, joined the Haitian popular movement on Feb. 7 in condemning the US/UN occupation of Haiti, just as they oppose the presence of US troops on Philippine soil.
• In the Caribbean, Haiti solidarity activities took place in the Dominican Republic, Guadaloupe, Martinique, Trinidad and the Caribbean port city of Puerto Cabello in Venezuela, as well as massive protests all over Haiti.
• In Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, Haiti solidarity activists are doing a high school and university tour, educating students about the Haitian Revolution, the grassroots liberation movement, and how Canada gave key support to the 2004 coup and today's brutal UN occupation.
Complete list of February 7th activities:
Port-au-Prince and 9 other cities in Haiti - In a massive outpouring, an estimated nearly 200,000 people took to the streets all over Haiti on Feb. 7, to commemorate the 1986 overthrow of the Duvalier dictatorship and in conjunction with the International Day in Solidarity with Haiti. Demonstrations, street rallies and meetings demanded an end to the US/UN occupation, freedom for political prisoners, and the return of President Aristide and other political exiles. In the capital city, according to reports on the ground, crowds variously estimated at around 100,000 filled the streets of Port-au-Prince, starting at St. Jean Bosco, site of Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide's church which in the '80s was a focal point for the popular movement opposing the rule of the Duvaliers and the hated Haitian Army. Marchers stopped at the MINUSTAH [UN] office to demand the departure of all foreign military forces from Haiti. The large crowd surged on to the National Palace, where voices shouted out to President Preval not to forget the people who voted for him in huge numbers one year ago -- and took to the streets to block fraud and ensure his election -- especially the people in popular neighborhoods like Cite Soleil who are targets of systematic UN attacks. "Justice for the victims of Cite Soleil," they chanted. In Cap Haitien, Haiti's second largest city, tens of thousands marched, and there were significant protests on Feb. 7 in Les Cayes, St. Marc, Hinche, Miragoane, Jacmel, Leogane, Gonvaives, as well as Port-de-Paix in the Northwest and smaller events elsewhere. Only one week earlier, UN Special Envoy to Haiti Edmond Mulet told a forum in Washington DC that the Lavalas popular movement was dwindling, and that "this issue of...Aristide is not present anymore in the political sphere in Haiti." But for Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, from the Sept. 30th Foundation, the massive Feb. 7th national demonstrations said it all. "Lavalas continues to be the largest political movement in Haiti, as they have proven once again," he told HIP, summing up the day's outpouring. "The UN and the international press can do their best to marginalize them and cover-up the truth, but [Lavalas supporters] are here to stay and their numbers have never been stronger. Mr. Mulet and the 'international community' have been caught in a web of their own untruths." [For pictures and details on the Haiti demonstrations, go to www.haitiaction.net ]
Durban, South Africa - Abahlali, the South African shack dwellers movement, decided to organize an event in the Kennedy Road shack settlement "in support of Haitian shack dwellers," in particular those living in "the massive shack settlement of Cite Soleil (Sun City)." They write: "Abahlali had an all night meeting on Feb. 3 at which this small gesture of solidarity was discussed with representatives from all of the 34 settlements affiliated to the movement. There was tremendous enthusiasm and a hope that ongoing networks of solidarity could be developed between shack dwellers under pressure in different countries."
Here is a participant's description of the Feb. 7 event in Durban [held at Kennedy Rd because no other settlement has electricity]: "Just got back from an amazing event in the Kennedy Road settlement. Taxis don't run after the commuter rush but the hall, which takes 300 people, was close to full. People came from all over the city although most had to spend the night in Kennedy Road because there was not transport home." Organizers commented on people's reaction on seeing video footage of two UN attacks in Cite Soleil -- the July 6, 2005 massacre in Bois Neuf/Drouillard and an Aug. 24, 2006 raid in Simond Pele: "The visuals of the [UN] soldiers moving into the settlements [in Cite Soleil], blocking the exits etc are images that look strikingly like what has happened in settlements here [in South Africa] last year in response to mass mobilisation, although of course people are very rarely killed here. When the films were finished there was a forest of arms up for people wanting to discuss the films. The discussion was excellent and very enthusiastic and focussed on how democratic national democracies could actually be in this world, why local and international agencies supposed to be 'on the side of the people' (from local NGOs to the UN) so ruthlessly and relentlessly stigmatize the politics of the poor as criminal. A few people in the hall had, despite a lack of access to all electronic media, been managing to follow the situation quite closely since Aristide was removed from office. People were tremendously excited to have been able to be part of the global day of action. Although the Haitian story is very depressing there is something encouraging in knowing that you are not alone and that the long fight back continues elsewhere."....Separately, also in Durban, activists at the Center for Civil Society on the University of KwaZulu Natal campus organized a program on Feb. 6 about the current situation in Haiti, as part of Haiti solidarity day.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - A demonstration of more than 6,000 youth and students marched through the center of Rio de Janeiro Feb. 1st -- with two demands: 1) Immediate withdrawal of all Brazilian UN troops from Haiti, and 2) University reform. The march went to the remains of the old headquarters of the National Student Union (UNE), which was torched by the Brazilian military and burned to the ground April 1, 1964 -- the day after the US-backed military coup that ousted the democratically elected President Goulart. That coup resulted in many years of repression by the military dictatorship. Some of those same Brazilian military officers received "death squad" type training from the US military at the School of the Americas, and their brutal traditions live on in the Brazilian-led military occupation of Haiti today.
Montreal, Quebec - March in downtown Montreal on Feb. 3 "against the foreign occupation of Haiti," organized by a coalition including Oganizasyon Baz Fanmi Lavalas (Montreal) and Haiti Action Montreal, marching to protests at the US and French embassies and Canadian government offices. "This demonstration in Montreal is to support the campaign led by the popular masses in Haiti against the occupation of their country by UN forces, fully backed by France, the US and Canada, which continue their bloody assault against the poor majority, targeting leaders and supporters of the democratic movement."
San Francisco, California - A hundred protesters, organized by the Haiti Action Committee, rallied in the rain Feb. 7 at Powell & Market in the heart of downtown -- to hear a talk by Pierre Labossiere and a prayer from Sister Maureen Duignan for the victims of the US/UN occupation in Haiti -- then marched down Market Street to the beat of African drums to picket the Brazilian Consulate. The most popular chant on the march was "Kanmarad [comrades] in Cite Soleil - We are with you all the way." Arriving at the consulate, they chanted: "President Lula - Why are you killing in Haiti?" - condemning Brazil's role in commanding UN troops in Haiti, responsible for almost daily killings in popular neighborhoods of the Haitian capital. Silvio, a friend from Brazil, reported on recent mass protests in Rio de Janeiro in solidarity with Haiti, demanding the withdrawal of Brazilian UN troops from Haiti. Brother Silvio told how in the slums of Rio, police are invading the neighborhoods and shooting innocent people - so similar to what is happening in Cite Soleil. The demonstration ended with a grand five-minute finale of stirring, militant drumming by Ustadi, Tacuma, Rob, Maat and Lanier....The next day, two Bay Area residents, who were part of a delegation that witnessed a deadly Brazilian raid in Cite Soleil on August 24, 2006, had a two-hour audience with Brazilian Consul General Mauricio Cortes Costa to register their protest. They showed him close-up video footage of Brazilian soldiers firing heavy weapons into civilian homes in the Simond Pele district, and a videotaped interview with the mother of a young man killed in the UN raid. The consul replied with familiar justifications for the repeated UN attacks on civilians in Cite Soleil. Seemingly oblivious of the many photos that have been published of small children killed in the UN raids, the Brazilian consul said most of the victims were "bandits."
Manila, Philippines - Gabriela, the national alliance of women's organizations in the Philippines, issued a communique Feb. 7 "joining the call to end foreign military occupation of Haiti," mentioning in particular the military forces of the US, UN, France and Canada. [Note that the US-backed Philippine government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is one of the regimes providing soldiers for the UN occupation force in Haiti.] Beginning with the headline, "militant greetings from the Philippines," Gabriela stated that it "...joins the people of Haiti in condemning the brutal attacks against civilians; many have already suffered and died in the continuing bloody assaults and raids of foreign military troops....We stand by the people of Haiti in honoring leaders and members of the community who gave their life for freedom and democracy. We will stand by the people of Haiti in their quest for justice and peace amidst severe repression." In the Philippines, the statement continued, "like Haiti the climate of repression looms over the people, especially leaders and members of organizations critical of the government. Under the US-led 'war on terror', the Arroyo government has been responsible for the extrajudicial killing of 830 people, 83 of them women, and 207 disappearances from 2001 until February 2007....The sexual and physical abuse of women and children in the history of US occupation has been documented....The abuse of women and children and the demeaning economic dependency and subservience continue up to this day." The Gabriela statement opposed the foreign military occupation of Haiti, just as they oppose the presence of US troops on Philippine soil. Listing the many wars started or backed by the US, from Vietnam to Iraq to Lebanon, which have "killed and maimed hundreds of thousands," Gabriela said this "will only push more peoples and nations to organize themselves in the name of justice, peace, democracy and sovereignty. Mass protests will not stop but will grow bigger in an atmosphere of repression, injustice and domination." The Gabriela women's federation closed their statement with these demands: "Stop the war against the people of Haiti! Respect the sovereignty of Haiti! End foreign military occupation of Haiti! Long live the people of Haiti! Long live international solidarity!"
Mexico City - Representatives of the National Democratic Convention [the mass organization allied with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador] and the Mexican Federation of Electrical Workers (SME) visited the Haitian Embassy Feb. 8, to protest the massacres of the poor by UN forces in Haiti, and show support for the demands of the International Day in Solidarity with the Haitian People.
Miami, Florida - Father Gerard Jean-Juste, the Haitian community and friends gathered in the afternoon Feb. 7 at Veye Yo, 32 NE 54th St, in the heart of Miami's Little Haiti, for a rally in support of the demands of the popular movement in Haiti.
Guyana - "On Feb. 7 Red Thread women organized a vibrant, noisy lunch time picket across the street from the office of the United Nations Development Programme in Georgetown in solidarity with Haiti. We were Afro-Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese and mixed race; the oldest was in her 70s. Representatives of two political parties, a trade union grouping and an African-Guyanese cultural organisation joined us. Our banner read 'International Day in Solidarity with Haiti, UN Forces out of Haiti'. Placards said 'Grassroots women in Guyana in solidarity with grassroots women in Haiti' and 'Guyana in solidarity with Site Soley'. They chanted: 'Stop the massacres/ now', 'Stop sexual abuse/ now', 'Free political prisoners/ now'. Later we crossed the road in single file, stopping traffic, and stood directly on the pavement in front of the entrance of the UN office. As we reached the entrance, participants got more excited and the chanting was even louder: 'UN troops/ out of Haiti!' "
"Why we should always act in solidarity with the poor majority in Haiti" was the headline on flyers passed out by the Red Thread women's organization. The flyer said: "Every time we hear news about Haiti we hear that it is the poorest country in the Caribbean, a country where there is always fighting. No one tells us why Haiti is poor and what the fighting is about. Here is the basic truth:
"The fighting in Haiti is part of a 200-year fight for freedom. The Haitian people were the first to abolish slavery. They won the first successful slave revolution in history, defeating France, Britain and Spain. Haiti also gave direct aid to other people fighting for their freedom. For example, it supplied Bolivar, the liberator of Venezuela and other South American countries, with ships and supplies to overthrow Spanish rule and helped train some of Bolivar’s soldiers. All Haiti asked was that Bolivar fight to free the slaves in South America. The 2004 coup against elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was the latest action in the 200-year-old effort by the old and new colonial powers to defeat Haiti’s struggle to be free.
"Haiti is poor because it has always been punished for fighting for freedom. This started when the colonial powers, furious about the Haitian people’s victory over slavery, made them pay those who had owned and exploited them in order for their new government to get international recognition. Backed by the US, France forced Haiti to pay 150 million francs in gold as “reparations” to former plantation and slave owners, as well as for the costs of the war. It is estimated that French bankers and big business alone owe Haiti at least 21 billion US dollars for the forced debt it took Haiti 120 years to pay off.
"The old and new colonial powers have always been determined to defeat the Black people of Haiti...But the Haitian grassroots have never given up the fight against foreign powers and the local exploiters and dictators these powers support. The organization calling for the February 7 protests – Fondasyon Trant Septanm - is an example of their unbreakable spirit; it is an 11-year old organization of victims of the 1991 and 2004 coups in Haiti who have chosen the anniversary of the overthrow of one Haitian dictator, “Baby Doc” Duvalier, to march to demand respect for Haiti’s sovereignty. We picket in solidarity with them."
Dublin, Ireland - Solidarity picket Feb. 7 at the Brazilian Embassy, initiated by the Latin American Solidarity Centre. Demonstrators held up a large photo of a pregnant woman who lost her baby when she was shot in the stomach by UN bullets during the December 22nd 'Christmas massacre' in Cite Soleil. They said, "We are sending a clear message: that no one is forgotten. Coming from the working class, our sympathy will always lie with the workers and the poor who struggle for freedom and equality." The Irish picketers passed out a Workers Solidarity Movement leaflet: "On the 7th of February 1986 the Haitian people, after years of revolt against the rich and powerful, toppled one of the most brutal dictatorships that history has recorded, the one led by the Duvalier family. Not only did they put an end to the US-backed reign of terror of the Duvaliers, but as well, the people were pushing forward a series of popular demands that were meant to radically change the face of Haiti: this was a truly revolutionary struggle. Today, Haiti is again under the yoke of oppression - this time under a UN military occupation called MINUSTAH, headed mostly by subservient Latin American governments, but engineered from the US and France, the main imperialist powers controlling Haitian affairs. [The UN] took over after the kidnap and coup on President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Don't let us have false illusions on the true nature of MINUSTAH: they are an occupation force that protects the sympathizers of the Duvaliers and other human rights violators. They are the only support for the corrupt Haitian elite....So MINUSTAH have been efficient in fulfilling their role:...to protect the privilege of the 3% of Haitians that control over 80% of the wealth of that country. End the UN and all foreign occupation of Haiti!," the leaflet said.
Los Angeles, California - Emergency picket at noon Feb. 8 at the Brazilian Consulate, initiated by Global Women's Strike, Internat'l Action Center, Pan African Activist Coalition, Answer Coalition, and Coalition in Solidarity with Haiti. The flyer said: "Massacres by the UN occupiers of Haiti continue. The 8000 UN troops are a proxy force for the US who, with the support of France and Canada, backed a coup against Haiti’s government in 2004 and kidnapped President Aristide....[Aristide] had wide popular support among Haiti’s poor who are 90% of the population. Despite the election of President Preval, the UN refuses to end its military occupation, and UN troops and police-controlled death squads routinely assault communities that support the Lavalas grassroots democracy movement....All foreign occupation forces must leave Haiti now!"
Boston, Mass. - Demonstration Feb. 7 at the Haitian Consulate at Copley Square, sponsored by Fanmi Lavalas (Boston). "End the UN Occupation of Haiti! Free the Political Prisoners! Return President Aristide!"
Cordoba, Argentina - The Haitian Democratic Committee joined with other political and social organizations Feb. 7 to stage a three-hour Speakout on Haiti in Cordoba's central Plaza, around the theme: MINUSTAH (UN forces) Out of Haiti! [Argentina is one of the countries supplying troops to the UN military operation in Haiti.]
Buenos Aires, Argentina - On Feb. 4 el Comité Democrático Haitiano en Argentina (CDH), an organization of Haitians living in Argentina, issued a statement, "MINUSTAH (UN forces) - Get Out of Haiti"....On Feb. 8 Haitian community leaders spoke out at the University of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, calling for international pressure to get the Occupation troops out of Haiti....On Feb. 9, ten activists staged an action in front of a United Nations office in the Recoleta district of the capital - demanding immediate withdrawal of Argentine troops from Haiti. Police were dispatched to protect the UN office, which promptly closed its doors....An evening program Feb. 9 at the Argentine-Cuban Solidarity House featured a forum and film on the crisis in Haiti....A Haitian community spokesman said the many Feb. 7 events in Buenos Aires and around the world "signal an advance toward formation of an international Solidarity Network with Haiti, in the diplomatic sphere as well as at the level of social organizations."....
On Feb. 13 Henry Boisrolin issued a new declaration on behalf of the CDH, stating that "the human slaughter occurring mainly in Cite Soleil...has reached a level of such unusually extreme cruelty that it is strikingly similar to a true plan of extermination....a crime against humanity." The declaration denounces as "sub-imperialist" those Latin American governments like Brazil and Argentina who willingly participate in the slaughter of the poor in Haiti, but "which would like to pass as popular, democratic and even leftist....None of those governments dares to expose before its people the true reasons for their complicity with the imperialistic policy in Haiti." The statement is merciless toward those so-called Human Rights organizations who respond with "silence...in the face of the massacres and...other violations, perpetrated mostly by members of MINUSTAH and the [right-wing] death squads that teem in the country and are rarely bothered by UN soldiers..." The CDH declaration goes on to deplore the UN Security Council's renewal of the mandate for MINUSTAH -- "thus prolonging the slaughter of the poor, children and innocents, and justifying their attempt to exterminate the popular camp in Haiti. Nevertheless, they underestimate the Haitian people. Sooner or later the people will have the last word, whatever the sacrifices imposed upon them." As for the heads and backers of MINUSTAH, with their "racism and political blindness," trying to "comprehend a reality that has already gotten outside of their control, but which they pretend to control only by means of slaughters...-- history will be implacable with them in its final verdict."
Johannesburg, South Africa - On Feb. 5 in Johannesburg, Lybon Mabasa issued a statement on behalf of the Socialist Party of Azania, of which he is president. "We condemn in the strongest terms the wanton destruction and destabilization that has been brought upon the people of Haiti, first by the government of the United States, that has become a common denominator in bringing untold suffering to many peoples of the world... destroying hundreds of thousands of lives in Iraq, Lebanon, Haiti and ... many countries of Africa. In this vein we also condemn the United Nations that is constantly in complicity with the butchers of US imperialism. It is the UN that provided the desired and necessary cover for the slaughter in Africa in the Great Lakes Region when they pulled out only weeks before the genocide. They provided cover for US and its allies in the slaughter of the innocent in Iraq by implicitly supporting a notion of weapons of mass destruction....Their continued unbridled support for the state of Israel has given it a carte blanche cheque for wanton destruction in the region. Now they are at it in Haiti.
"The people of Haiti have the right to defend their right to self determination, they have a right to define democracy in the manner that will suit their aspirations, have a right to defend their elected leaders against the designs of US imperialism," the Mabasa statement continued. "It is also their democratic right to call for the unconditional cancellation of the so-called Haitian Debt which is the author of many of their ills and so many unwarranted foreign interventions....The day of action in solidarity with Haiti in more than 50 cities across continents has our unwavering support.".....Separately, also in Johannesburg, a screening of the movie Aristide and the Endless Revolution at Witwatersrand University took place Feb. 7 as part of Haiti international solidarity day.
New York City - Demonstration from 2-7 pm Feb. 7 in front of United Nations headquarters, to "demand an end to the occupation, exile and political imprisonment in Haiti." Sponsored by a coalition of Haitian organizations including Lavalas Family Party (NY chapter), Haiti Support Network and KAKOLA. "President Aristide and his wife Mildred were kidnapped from their home in Port-au-Prince by US Special Forces on February 29, 2004 and flown into exile in Africa," the organizers said in a statement. "Canadian, French and US troops then militarily occupied Haiti until June 1, 2004 when MINUSTAH [UN forces] took over...[Today] we see the policies and realities of the coup d'etat regime are still in place."....Separately, on Feb. 10 in Manhattan, mourners gathered at Holy Trinity Church in Manhattan in a memorial service for Henri Laforest, longtime Haiti solidarity activist who was shot and killed in Petionville, Haiti in late January. Friends believed "the climate of violence induced by the continuing foreign military occupation of Haiti" may have contributed to his death. His family wanted to include his memorial service as part of the international solidarity day.
Dominican Republic - A meeting of the Haitian community in the capital city of Santo Domingo drew 35 people to a Protestant church on Feb. 7. They showed filmed footage of UN killings in Cite Soleil last year and in 2005. Even though Haiti and the DR share the same island, there is an information blackout in Santo Domingo about what is happening in Haiti. As a result, many of the Haitians attending were taken by surprise by the eyewitness testimony and graphic evidence of the UN massacres. "The people don't have much current information about what is going on in Haiti," said an organizer, "and they were glued to the TV watching the Democracy Now segments. In the question period afterwards, they had a lot to say about how to get MINUSTAH [UN forces] out of Haiti." The pastor of the church was so impressed by the presentation, and shocked by the videos, that he plans to repeat the program on a Sunday for his entire congregation of 100-150.
Guelph/Toronto, Ontario - A special event featuring radio journalist Jean Saint-Vil and Kabir Joshi-Vijayan Feb. 7 at University of Guelph, in recognition of the International Day in Solidarity with the Haitian People and Black History Month. Speakers examined Canada's role and that of NGOs in the destablilization of the overwhelmingly elected Aristide government, the 2004 coup and the current foreign occupation of Haiti.
Tucson, Arizona - Worker to Worker Solidarity Committee celebrated the International Day in Solidarity with the Haitian People with a late afternoon vigil Feb. 7 at the building at 407 W. Congress where US Senator John McCain has his local office. Sen. McCain is chair of the International Republican Institute (IRI) "which funded, and in several cases created and trained, major groups behind the 2004 coup in Haiti," the organizers said. The IRI is funded by the deceptively named National Endowment for Democracy, which gets its money from US taxpayers and acts to destabilize governments that Washington doesn't like.
Vancouver, British Columbia - Coop Radio (102.7 FM) devoted a full hour on the radio on Feb. 7 to the crisis in Haiti and International Haiti Solidarity Day. The program can be listened to online at www.coopradio.org .... Separately, also in Vancouver, on Feb. 10 Haiti solidarity activists showed up at a downtown event at Simon Fraser University-Harbor Centre featuring various Canadian-government-funded NGOs -- and passed out leaflets exposing the insidious role many of these NGOs played in destabilizing Haiti, supporting the 2004 coup and backing the current UN occupation of Haiti.
Washington, D.C. - The Konbit Lakay bilingual radio program on WPFW, 89.3 FM Pacifica Radio in Washington DC, hosted by Yves Pont du Jour [every Saturday, 10pm to Midnight EST], featured the International Day in Solidarity with Haiti on its Feb. 3 broadcast and again on Feb. 10. The second broadcast focused on the tremendous turnout for the Feb. 7 demonstrations in Port-au-Prince and other Haitian cities.
Puerto Cabello, Venezuela - The Frente Francisco de Miranda, an organization of Venezuelans and Haitians living in Venezuela, was organizing a meeting in the Caribbean port city of Puerto Cabello as part of the Feb. 7th mobilization -- screening videos documenting the UN's July 6, 2005 massacre in Cite Soleil, as well as a deadly UN raid in the Simond Pele neighborhood of Cite Soleil in late August 2006. The organizers demanded the departure from Haiti of all the UN soldiers, and that the right-wing death squads be put out of business. Reporters from local media were invited to attend the event.
Central Florida - The Haitian American Support Group of Central Florida and Radio Louvri Je had been broadcasting information about the Feb. 7 International Day in Solidarity with Haiti every Thursday since January 11th (11:00 pm-2:00 am) over the airwaves of Radio Louvri Je (WOKB, 1600 AM). They write: "Let us struggle together for the liberation of Haiti" and raise these demands: "1) All political prisoners must be freed. 2) Political exiles must be free to return to Haiti; immediate return of President Aristide. 3) All the criminals and authors of the "Koudnaping" of February 29, 2004 must be rendered before international tribunals for crimes against humanity. 4) All those who lost their jobs unjustly must find justice and restitution. 5) All the sons and daughters of Haiti come together to relaunch a program of development."
Cochabamba, Bolivia - Screening of the explosive new, 90-minute Kevin Pina film, Haiti: "We Must Kill the Bandits" in conjunction with Haiti international solidarity day.
Detroit, Michigan - Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI) held a meeting on Haiti Feb 7 at 5920 Second Ave, Detroit (just north of Wayne State University). The audience watched a recent segment of Democracy Now on UN massacres of Haitian civilians. Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of Pan African News Wire and a leader of MECAWI, gave a detailed history of Haiti, followed by discussion.
Berkeley, California - Speakout on Haiti Feb.5 at the city's Peace & Justice Commission. The body was considering a resolution supporting HR 351, the TRUTH Act, which calls for an investigation into the US government's role in the 2004 coup that ousted President Aristide and sent him into exile. After the speakout, the commission voted to approve the resolution and send it on to the City Council.
Calgary, Alberta - Late afternoon picket Feb. 7 at the Harry Hayes federal building "in support of Haiti's sovereign right to self-determination, an immediate end to the Canadian/US/UN occupation of Haiti and cancellation of the so-called Haitian debt." Protesters displayed "Canada Out of Haiti" banners to oncoming rush-hour traffic and handed out messages from protest organizers in Haiti and around the world. Lybon Mabasa's statement for Haiti on behalf of the Socialist Party of Azania (South Africa) was read out loud. Following the picket, organizers met to plan Calgary's participation in the March 17th international day to end imperialist war and occupation in Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, and Palestine.
Edmonton, Alberta - Screening of the film Aristide & the Endless Revolution Feb. 12 at the Remedy Cafe, near the University.
Fredericton, New Brunswick - A vigil and informational picket at noon Feb. 9 at City Hall, sponsored by Women in Black and the local Haiti Action and peace coalitions.
Halifax, Nova Scotia -- A forum: "Democracy Denied: The UN and Canada's 'Pacification' of Haiti" Feb. 7 at Dalhousie University....Also, on Feb.16 at NSCAD University, Bell Auditorium, screening of Aristide's Haiti, Gemini-nominated documentary by Nadia Pequeneza, chronicling the US-backed overthrow of President Aristide on Feb. 29, 2004. Also: Our Arms Do Not Kill: The UN's Pacification of Cite Soleil, a short film by independent journalist Isabelle Macdonald, documenting UN atrocities. [For information on these films, call Haiti Action Halifax 1-902-405-9480, or email stu.neatby@gmail.com ]
Jacksonville, Florida -- Northern Florida Haitian community meeting showed video footage of UN killings in Cite Soleil over a 13-month period.
Lima, Peru - Speakout and leafleting on Feb. 7th. Peru is one of the countries supplying troops to the UN military operation in Haiti. "Peruvian troops must leave Haiti now!"
London, England - Showing of the Kevin Pina film, Harvest of Hope Feb. 7 at the Crossroads Women's Centre on Kentish Town Road, London. Sponsored by Global Women's Strike and Women of Colour in the Global Women's Strike. The film, about the rise of the Lavalas movement leading up to the December 1990 elections that swept Jean-Bertrand Aristide into the presidency -- and the 1991-94 coup that followed -- is a primer for understanding the roots of the current crisis in Haiti.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The week's Haiti support activities began Feb. 5 with a Haiti film showing at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. On Feb. 7 Haiti solidarity activists met at the university to table and ask people to call their Congressional representatives to support HR 888 (Haiti Debt Relief Act) and HR 351 (the TRUTH Act, calling for investigation of the US role in the 2004 coup in Haiti)....On Feb.10 they confronted House Rep. James Sensenbrenner at the Whitefish Bay Public Library about his refusal to support the two bills, and also about his various anti-Haiti remarks. Activists confronted him both outside, and inside during the meeting....Also on Feb. 10, Brian Averill and Erika Wolf gave a presentation on their recent visit to Haiti, highlighting the UN's role in Haiti, at a meeting of the United Nations Ass'n of Milwaukee.
Atlanta, Georgia - Screening of the film Aristide and the Endless Revolution, in conjunction with the International Day in Solidarity with Haiti.
Minneapolis/St. Paul - On Feb. 7 hardy souls from the Minnesota Haiti Justice Committee braved sub-zero temperatures on the "peace" bridge that spans the Mississippi River and connects the Twin Cities. They carried signs saying "Stop the war on Haiti," "UN/US out of Haiti" and "Stop the Occupation of Iraq and Haiti." Their 10-ft long red and blue banner said "Restore Democracy to Our Neighborhood." Passing cars honked in support. "We beat a hand drum and displayed, along with our banner, our sequined Voudon flag which depicts the spirit of Agriculture," said one participant.
Ottawa, Canada - On Feb. 7 the Ottawa Haiti Solidarity Committee issued a press release to Canadian media publicly joining the call for an end to the violence and an end to the foreign occupation of Haiti.
Philadelphia - Midday vigil in the freezing cold Feb. 7 at City Hall, initiated by House of Grace Catholic Worker. Atty. Tom Griffin, author of a groundbreaking report documenting police and UN atrocities since the 2004 coup, gave a report on his recent investigative trip to Haiti.
Guadeloupe - A protest action and rally Feb. 7 in the capital city of Pointe a Pitre on this Caribbean island. Leaders of the UGTG labor federation spoke from the podium. The rally was in support of the communique: Solidarity with the Haitian People! Foreign troops out of Haiti!, issued Feb. 5 by the worker/peasant organization Travaye e Peyizan. The communique says, in part: "Considering that foreign occupation of Haiti has occurred many times since independence in 1804...And considering that the present [UN] occupiers try to justify their presence by claiming a desire to put an end to violence...while on the contrary, we are witnessing a deterioration in the economic and social situation and an increase in repression, including the assaults and massacres of December 22, 2006 and July 6, 2005....We estimate that those responsible for the misery and violence in Haiti, are none other than the ones who pillaged the riches of Haiti and continue to do so (France, the USA)....Therefore we demand: 1. Restitution by France of the sums extorted from the Haitian people after Haiti's independence in 1804. 2. Withdrawal of all occupation forces from Haiti. 3. Respect for the national sovereignty of the Haitian people."
Martinique - In the last part of January, teachers union leader Jacqueline Petitot urged solidarity with the Haitian people from the podium of the 5th Congress of the FSU trade union federation. This was followed up by a statement of solidarity with the Haitian people issued Feb. 7 in the capital city of Fort de France in Martinique.
Trinidad - On Feb 7, the African Caribbean Network issued a statement in solidarity with the Haitian people, and showed the film, Aristide and the Endless Revolution in Port of Spain, the capital city.
Richmond, California - Speakout on Haiti, sponsored by Richmond Greens, Feb. 6 in the public forum at the Richmond City Council meeting.
Sacramento, California - Event Feb. 2 "in honor of Black History Month and International Haiti Solidarity Day." Film showing and first-hand report on human rights abuses in Haiti by Leisa Faulkner, president of the Coalition for Democracy in Haiti and executive director of Children's Hope. Hinde Auditorium, Sacramento State University.
San Diego, California - Showing Feb. 9 of the powerful film Bitter Cane, shot clandestinely in Haiti during the Duvalier era, and presentation on the current situation in Haiti by Gloria Verdieu, at the International Action Center in San Diego. "End the UN Occupation of Haiti! Return President Aristide and Democracy to Haiti!"
San Jose, California - Speakout and leafleting at 5 pm Feb. 7 at south end of Cesar Chavez Plaza, as people passing by on foot and in cars signaled their support. Among the signs were "US military kidnapped Aristide", "Stop UN 'peacekeeper' massacres", "Free Rene Civil and all political prisoners" and "End foreign occupation of Haiti."
Enterprise, Oregon - Showing of the film Aristide & the Endless Revolution Feb. 7 at Stage One.
San Rafael, California - Late afternoon vigil Feb. 7 in the pouring rain in downtown San Rafael, initiated by Marin Interfaith Task Force. Signs urged an end to the repression by UN troops, and called for the UN occupation to end. "We read out loud about the other cities and countries that were also in solidarity with the Haitian people until the ink ran on the page and we could no longer read the words. Knowing that we were part of a massive effort made the cold and rain easier to take, and we were proud to be part of the action."
Santiago, Chile - Protest activities in conjunction with the International Day included the painting of a street mural about the suffering and struggle of the Haitian people. Chile is one of the countries supplying troops to the UN military operation in Haiti."Chilean troops out of Haiti now!"
Sydney, Nova Scotia - "From Occupied Haiti," a photo exhibit and talk by investigative journalist Stuart Neatby Feb. 8, at Cape Breton University.
Tampa, Florida - Passing out leaflets on Feb. 6 to students on the campus of the University of South Florida, Tampa, and engaging them in discussions about the situation in Haiti and the demands of the International Day in Solidarity with Haiti.
Windsor, Ontario - A public forum Feb. 8 put the current struggle against foreign intervention in the context of Haiti's rebellious history and many victories against colonial, neo-colonial and imperialist powers. Speakers highlighted the Haitian people's struggle against their own elite and their international backers. People were urged to fully oppose the crimes being committed today in the name of "stability and democracy." A University of Windsor professor condemned Canada's government for "participating in a repeat of past colonial crimes in Haiti."
Columbia, Maryland - Screening of the Nicolas Rossier film Aristide and the Endless Revolution Feb. 10 at the Central Library in Columbia. The film won the Best Documentary award at the 2006 Pan African Film Festival.
Houston, Texas - The national board of the Pacifica radio network, meeting in Houston, issued a statement Feb. 5 in support of the International Day in Solidarity with Haiti: "February 7, 2007 will be the 21st anniversary of the fall of the Duvalier regime. On that date, mobilizations will take place in over 30 cities around the world, reponding to a call put out by Fondasyon 30 Septanm and many other grassroots organizations in Haiti. These coordinated international protests demand an end to the brutal United Nations occupation of Haiti, freedom for hundreds of political prisoners arrested during the 2004-06 coup, and the return of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who remains in exile in South Africa....The Pacifica National Board reaffirms our commitment to the goals of justice, democracy and sovereignty in Haiti. We give our full support to the February 7th International Day of Solidarity with the people of Haiti." The network has FM radio stations in Houston, Washington DC, New York, Berkeley (reaching wide areas in northern and central California) and Los Angeles.
=============================================================
Click this link for key documents of the International Haiti Solidarity Day:
http://www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?list=type&type=34
1. Sept 30th Foundation Declaration: "No to Occupation - No to Trusteeship" - in Kreyol; soon in English.
2. Article: "The Coup d'Etat Continues" - in French; soon in English.
Go to www.haitiaction.net & www.haitisolidarity.net for news and background on the Haitian people's struggle
================================================================
• Check out our beautiful 2-1/4 inch buttons (pictured at top). Mail your order with check or money order to Haiti Action Committee, PO Box 2218, Berkeley, CA 94702 [$1 each, including shipping by regular mail. Minimum order 10 buttons] Pamphlets: The US War Against Haiti (Hidden from the Headlines) and We Will Not Forget: The Achievements of Lavalas in Haiti are $1 each. For bulk orders write haitiaction@yahoo.com or call 510-483-7481 and leave message.
==================================================================
A Call to Action – Join the International Day in Solidarity with the People of Haiti!
Coordinated International Protests
on February 7, 2007
End the Foreign Military Occupation of Haiti!
Stop the War against the People of Haiti!
Respect Haiti's Sovereignty!
Dear Activists for Haiti,
The United Nations forces in Haiti (MINUSTAH) – backed to the hilt by the US, France and Canada – are continuing their bloody assault on the poor majority, targeting especially leaders and supporters of the Lavalas grassroots democracy movement.
On December 22, 2006, some 400 UN troops conducted another day-long raid in Bois Neuf, Cite Soleil – an operation on the scale of the July 6, 2005 UN massacre in the same neighborhood – with many civilian residents dead and wounded. Since the "Christmas massacre," UN forces have repeatedly raided Cite Soleil shooting off their weapons.
In response, Fondasyon Trant Septanm, an 11-year-old organization of victims of the 1991 and 2004 coups d'etat in Haiti, has issued a call for renewed protests in many cities of the world on February 7, 2007. This is the anniversary of the overthrow of the dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier in 1986. Haiti will be demonstrating on that day – so should we!
The February 7th call is supported by representatives of these grassroots organizations in Haiti: + Comite de Defense des Droits du Peuple Haitien (Committee in Defense of the Rights of the Haitian People) + Confederation des Travailleurs Haitiens (Confederation of Haitian Workers) + Femmes Victimes Debout (Women Victims Stand Up) + Collectif des Parents et Amis des Prisonniers Politiques (Collective of Relatives and Friends of Political Prisoners) + Coordination Nationale des Organisations de Droits Humains (National Coordination of Human Rights Organizations).
The February 7th International Day is part of a campaign against the US/UN Occupation by the popular movement in Haiti, leading up to February 15th when the UN Security Council is due to renew its Haiti mandate.
We need to act now in solidarity with our Haitian sisters and brothers, whose unbreakable spirit, in the face of severe repression, won’t stop.
Building on the international demonstrations for Haiti in 2005 - The July 6th massacre by UN troops in Cite Soleil sparked an international campaign, culminating in a day of solidarity actions in 15 cities and five countries on July 21, 2005. The campaign succeeded in breaking through the media blockade, exposing the massacre.
This was followed by the first International Day in Solidarity with Haiti on September 30, 2005, when coordinated actions in 47 cities in 17 countries on 4 continents condemned the bloody US/UN occupation and demanded that Haiti's sovereignty and democracy be respected.
Today, violent repression continues against grassroots activists and communities – by UN forces and paramilitary death squads [like the Little Machete Army] created by the Haitian National Police. We're talking not only about killings, but sexual abuse, beatings, house burnings, arbitrary arrests, and the prolonged, illegal detention of people without any charges. UN forces have been repeatedly implicated in these activities.
Our call is for each city to organize its own Haiti solidarity activity on or around Wednesday, February 7, 2007 – to be coordinated as a single worldwide mobilization. It could be a march, rally, public meeting, vigil, house meeting or civil disobedience – whatever you are able to do – in support of the following demands:
• End the brutal US/UN Occupation – Respect Haiti’s sovereignty
• Stop the killings, sexual abuse and massacres of the poor by UN troops, police and paramilitaries under police control
• Free the political prisoners – No more illegal arrests & detentions
• President Aristide must be free to return to Haiti – Respect the Haitian Constitution
• Launch an independent inquiry into the February 29, 2004 coup and forced removal of President Aristide
• Perpetrators of the coup and massacres of the poor must be brought to justice – Reparations for the victims
For the February 7, 2007 International Day of Solidarity with the People of Haiti,
Lavarice Gaudin, Veye Yo + Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, Fondasyon Trant Septanm + Margaret Prescod, Global Women's Strike + Dave Welsh, US Labor/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti
|
