International day in solidarity with Haiti

Pierre LaBossiere speaks, Sept. 30, Oakland, Calif.

Drums by Tacuma King and his Bay Area Youth Arts drum corps anchored an Oakland, Calif., rally denouncing U.S. interference in the Oct. 9 Haitian election. It was part of an international day of protests in various cities on Sept. 30, the 25th anniversary of the first U.S.-backed military coup against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In London, a crowd marched on the U.S. embassy, assailing persistent U.S. support for fraudulent elections in Haiti. Organized by Global Women’s Strike, the protest included representation from Caribbean Labor Solidarity and the All African Women’s Group and activists from Argentina, Congo, Germany, India, Italy, Romania and Zimbabwe.

In Boston, the majority-Haitian School Bus Drivers Union, Steelworkers Local 8751 helped organize the Sept. 30 event. In Miami the protest was held at the headquarters of the Haitian community organization Veye Yo.