23210: Esser: What 9/11 Means to Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser <torx@joimail.com>

IndyMedia Argentina
http://argentina.indymedia.org/

What 9/11 Means to Haiti
September 21, 2004


Lavalas Braves Climate of Terror
to March and Demand
for Aristide's Return

September 11th is a date well-fixed in the consciousness of
progressive Haitians. It marks the anniversary of a brutal massacre
in Aristide's former parish of St Jean Bosco in 1988 as well as the
anniversary of the slaying of Lavalas supporter Antoine Izmery in
1993. To honor the victims and demand the restoration of democracy to
Haiti, thousands of Lavalas activists took the streets this September
11th and braved the climate of terror that has gripped the country.

As expected, not a single journalist from the corporate media turned
up to cover the event despite the huge turnout. Michael Ottey of the
Miami Herald would have done well to show up and see that his
contacts in Haiti have been feeding him disinformation. On Aug. 29th
Ottey wrote in the Miami Herald, ‚"In Port-au-Prince neighborhoods
such as Cité Soleil and Bel Aire — both Aristide strongholds —
weapons abound. At times brandishing weapons, Aristide loyalists have
recently launched demonstrations from there, demanding his return.‚"
Mr. Ottey would do well to take note that at the September 11th
demonstration demanding Aristide's return there was not a single
weapon present among the marchers. In fact, during the last five
demonstrations HIP has covered extensively there was never a single
weapon ‚"brandished‚". There was however one violent incident on
September 11th when shots rang out towards the peaceful march from
behind the walls of the Office of Assurance National on Delmas 17.
Units of the Haitian National Police responded with force and the
march was allowed to continue in peace. Marchers immediately took up
the chant, ‚"Down with the former military. Long Live CIMO!!‚" Mr.
Ottey would know this if he ever took the time to come to Haiti
instead of relying upon phone calls to unreliable observers.

The peaceful march started at St. Jean Bosco church and then moved up
Delmas and crossed over to Avenue John Brown to protest in front of
the United Nations Operations Headquarters. Demonstrators then massed
in front of a heavily armed contigent of Brazilian soldiers
protecting the facility and began chanting, ‚"Lula, return President
Aristide today!!‚". The expression on the faces of the Brazilians
showed that they were totally caught off guard by the demand. Signs
proliferating the demonstration included, ‚"Down with terrorist
George Bush‚" and ‚"Long Live Kerry‚" representing the sentiment that
Bush was responsible for kidnapping President Aristide on February
29th of this year.

The march then headed over to Jean Paul 2nd Avenue and stopped in
front of the church yard where Father Jan-Marie Vincent is buried. In
front of the grave they chanted ‚"Justice for Jan-Marie Vincent!!‚"
This was in clear reference to the aquittal of Jackson Joanis for the
murder of Antoine Izmery. Joanis is also accused of murdering Father
Vincent. From there the march headed down to the front of Sacre Coeur
church and the monument honoring Antoine and George Izmery who were
both murdered by opponents to Lavalas. A speech was given by a
representative of Lavalas calling upon the defacto regime of Gerard
Latortue to ‚"have the decency to maintain justice‚" and condemning
the U.S.-installed regime for ‚"freeing murderers and thugs.‚" When
the marchers finally arrived in front of the national palace their
access was blocked by large numbers of heavily armed Brazilian
soldiers. Marchers ranckled at the image of an occupied Haiti where
the current government is more loyal to the dictates of the U.S. and
the so-called international community than it is to the democratic
will of its own people.
.