Terror by U.S.-backed regime, UN forces
Bloody repression fails to crush Haitian resistance
By Pat Chin
Resistance in Haiti to the White House-installed regime of
Prime Minister Gerard Latortue continues as the police, aided
by heavily armed paramilitary gangs and backed by a United
Nations occupation force, try in vain to crush the popular
movement.
Protesters have been calling for an end to the foreign
occupation--and for the return of popularly elected Haitian Pre
sident Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was kidnapped Feb. 29 by U.S.
Marines and flown from the country.
On Nov. 5, police arrested three members of the popular
roots band RAM, without a warrant or explanation, as they were
performing a song called "Justice" at the Oloffson Hotel. All
three are from a traditionally strong pro-Aristide
neighborhood.
Young people aren't the only targets of the occupation
regime, which has unleashed a bloody war of terror against
pro-Aristide supporters and others. Since Oct. 24, for example,
police have been trying to arrest the Confederation of Haitian
Workers' general coordinator, Paul Loulou Chery. They've
threatened to kill him if he doesn't turn himself in.
On Oct. 26, Jacques Belzin, the confederation's executive
secretary, denounced the police intimidation that has forced
Chery and other union officials into hiding. According to an
Oct. 26 Haitian Press Agency dispatch, "several members of the
labor confederation were arrested on Sept. 16 and are still in
prison."
The steep surge in UN-reinforced state repression--including
arrests, executions, rapes and torture--took place after police
killed two protesters Sept. 29 at a huge pro-Aristide march.
Demonstrators had taken to the streets of Port-au-Prince
despite intense intimidation and threats. When police later
tried to invade a poor neighborhood where support for Aristide
is strong, they were driven back by heavy gunfire.
Clashes with the police have increased since then, leaving
scores dead.
Pierre Labossiere of the Haiti Action Com mittee condemned
the U.S. role in Haiti at an Oct. 28 march and rally in San
Francisco. Protesters later joined picketers at three hotels
where the bosses have locked out the workers during contract
negotiations.
Charlie Hinton of the HAC told the crowd that it's important
to link the struggle in Haiti to the fight for workers' rights.
"It's about class issues," he explained. "Aristide represents
the poor and working people." (San Francisco Bayview, Nov.
4)
On Oct. 27, Rep. Maxine Waters and 30 other members of
Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell
calling for the release of all political prisoners in Haiti.
They include the Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste, who was arrested at
his church Oct. 13 without a warrant while feeding poor
children, three of whom were reportedly shot; popular Haitian
singer and community activist Anne August (So Anne); former
officials of the Aristide administration, including Prime
Minister Yvon Neptune; and thousands more.
"What is clear," reported the Nov. 7 Toronto Star, "is that
the government has gone on the offensive against members of
Aristide's Lavalas party in recent weeks, raiding poor
neighborhoods, searching homes and arresting people without
warrants. Jails are holding many prisoners who have never been
charged with a crime.
"Meanwhile, heavily armed former members of Haiti's
now-defunct military, a notoriously corrupt and abusive force
that was disbanded by Aristide in 1995, swagger through the
capital and control large swaths of territory in the
countryside with tacit UN and government approval."
After a recent two-day summit, Latin American leaders of the
19-nation Rio Group announced a plan they think will help stop
civil unrest in Haiti. It includes sending a high-level
Brazilian diplomat to Haiti to shape a "rescue" plan. Another
top Brazilian official will fly to South Africa--not to consult
with President Aristide but to inform him of the group's
decisions to "help restore order and democracy in Haiti." The
scheme includes increasing the number of occupation troops and
rebuilding the country's economy and infrastructure.
(Associated Press, Nov. 7)
According to a Rio Group official, "Aris tide will not be
invited by the Bra zi lian diplomat to participate in the
process from abroad."
But Venezuela President Hugo Chavez told university students
after the meeting that Aristide must be included.
Brazilian Gen. Juan Gabriel Valdes heads the UN occupation
force in Haiti. Like the U.S.-installed Latortue, Valdes has
blamed all the violence in Haiti on Aristide and his
supporters. Meanwhile, the corporate media worldwide continue
to replicate a grossly distorted view of Haitian reality that
demonizes Aristide's supporters as "terrorists" and "bandits"
when they defend themselves.
On Nov. 4, two days after the U.S. elections, the Department
of Homeland Secu rity recommended to the U.S. Citi zenship and
Immigration Services that they deny temporary protected status
to Haitian immigrants--even after the devastation of Tropical
Storm Jeanne. An 18-month extension was granted, however, to
all Hondurans and Nicaraguans who arrived here after Hurricane
Mitch slam med Central America in 1998. Immi gra tion officials
claim that, for the Haitians, decisions will be made on a
case-by-case basis.
The New York-based Haiti Support Network, in conjunction
with Fanmi Lava las, the International Action Center and the
ANSWER Coalition, is organizing a major meeting in Brooklyn for
Dec. 5
at New York City College of Technology
to explain the current unrest in Haiti and build support for
the popular resistance. For further information, log on
to
www. iacenter.org, or call the IAC at
(212) 633-6646.
Reprinted from the Nov. 18, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
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