Rally commemorates anniversary of U.S. coup in Haiti
By
G. Dunkel
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Published Mar 2, 2005 3:01 PM
In Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb.
27, the Lavalas Family party (FL) and the National Popular Party (PPN) marked
the anniversary of the coup-napping carried out by U.S. Special Forces a year
ago against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti with a program called
"Haiti: the Betrayal of Democracy."
Ben Dupuy
WW photo: G. Dunkel
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Over 10,000 people have been killed
by the Haitian police and paramilitary for the crime of demonstrating or being
poor, according to Mario Dupuy, the communications director for Fanmi Lavalas.
FL is one of the major political parties in Haiti.
Dupuy told the rally:
"Soon after the coup, the Haitian people showed their will to demonstrate for
justice and democracy. And they are willing to die for their political
convictions."
Kim Ives, a rally co-chair representing the Haiti Solidarity
Network, began the program by pointing out: "There is worldwide resistance to
the attempts by the United States to establish a global empire" and "this
evening and the resistance of the people of Haiti are part of this
struggle."
He went on to say that while the FL and PPN are parties with
different programs and different points of view, "they are united in their
complete rejection of the coup."
Hanz Laurenceau, the co-chair from FL New
York, said: "The resistance to the coup continues. There were big marches on
Feb. 7 and more are scheduled." He stressed that the struggle in Haiti is for
"justice, democracy and sovereignty."
The FL will not take part in the
bogus elections the de-facto government is planning at the urging of its
masters. FL sees the solution for the current crisis in Haiti lying in a return
to constitutional order and respect for Aristide's mandate.
Ben Dupuy, the
secretary general of the PPN, said: "People have the right to use any means
necessary to achieve their just demands. They cannot be restricted to dialog
only."
Dupuy reiterated that sovereignty and independence in 1804 were
not gifts. They were won through struggle and sacrifice. They certainly won't be
a gift in 2005, either.
Two anti-war North American groups, the ANSWER
Coalition and the Inter na tional Action Center, sent representatives to give
greetings to the audience. Caneisha Mills spoke on behalf of
ANSWER.
LeiLani Dowell of the IAC said: "One of the main focuses of the
IAC is to expose the ugly face of U.S. imperialism, which brings terror and
misery throughout the world, including Haiti. The United States and France
marked the 200th anniversary of Haiti's independence by attacking and occupying
the country."
She also talked about the March 19 demonstration set for New
York City to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. war against Iraq. Ending
the occupation of Haiti will be one of the key demands raised on March
19.
Thomas Griffin, a lawyer who investigated the civil rights situation
in Haiti in November, presented his gruesome and revealing pictures that show
the reconstitution of the Haitian army under the direction of U.S.
advisers.
Kevin Pina, a U.S. journalist working in Haiti for the Haitian
Information Project, presented an unfinished version of his film "Haiti: The
Betrayal of Democracy." The film shows how the bourgeois Haitian and
international media ignored the massive demonstrations in support of Aristide
before the coup, and how those sources presented the provocations of so-called
student groups in a deceitful and misleading fashion.
Eddy Francois of
Combo Guinen and the famous chorale Voix et Tambours sang a beautiful rendition
of "La Dessalinienne" to open the program, along with some popular songs that
brought the audience to their feet. Marguerite Laurent, a Haitian poet, combined
words, drumming and dance in a beautiful expression of Haitian
culture.
People kept on coming for hours after the program started, with
the total reaching nearly 500. Most were from the Haitian community but a number
of progressive North Americans came after hearing about the program from the
progressive radio station WBAI.
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
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