21972: erzilidanto: May 18, 2004 slaughtering of Haitian people (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Erzilidanto@aol.com

The article below will appear in print today and on-line later at:
http://www.sfbayview.com/
******


At least 9 demonstrators killed during huge march on Haiti’s Flag Day

Marchers face down US Marines, shout ‘Liberty or death,’ ‘Bring back

Aristide’ by Marguerite Laurent, J.D. Haitian Lawyers Leadership


May 18 is Haiti's Flag Day, and a demonstration was planned and

authorized by the police authorities. Copies of the authorization

letter, dated May 10, were sent by Fanmi Lavalas to the United Nations,

OAS and CARICOM.


Yet today the Haitian police, along with U.S. Marines, shot

indiscriminately into the crowd aiming to break up the demonstration.

"They slapped us hard today," one of the demonstrators stated over the

phone from Port-au-Prince. "But we slapped them right back because they

thought all their killings of Lavalas and torturing had intimidated us

all into hiding in our own country. They did not expect so many of us to

take to the street to ask for the return of President Aristide and the

disbanding of the army soldiers who are now running the Haitian National

Police. That's why we slapped them back."


According to this source, which shall remain anonymous for fear of

reprisal, the demonstration was to start in the Bel-Air neighborhood at

10:00 this morning, going on until 3 p.m. with a church service to

follow.


Reports are still coming in as to exactly what happened, but according

to eyewitnesses, around 8:00 this morning, as people assembled for the

march, a force of U.S. Marines arrived in full combat gear and shot in

the air to disperse them. They dispersed and reformed again at different

locations throughout the city. This happened throughout the day.


The demonstrators were demanding a stop to the slaughter of Lavalas

voters, a stop to the witch hunt and arbitrary arrests and tortures, the

return of President Aristide and the removal of the U.S. Marines, other

foreign troops and the rebel, ex-soldier police who are now terrorizing

them hand in hand.


The demonstrators came out in massive numbers. They attempted to march

peacefully and had no weapons, only the Haitian flag. But as the crowd

got bigger, it is reported the Marines got madder and more surprised,

more frustrated, and started shooting directly into the crowds. People

in the hundreds of thousands were singing "Libete ou lamo" (Liberty or

death) and refusing to be intimidated, even as their fellows kept being

cut down by police and U.S. Marine bullets.


At least four people were killed in the area where the demonstrators who

reached us by phone were demonstrating. The police and Marines took away

three bodies. Other witnesses report at least five others have been

slaughtered.


The demonstration was so large that no one could observe it all.

Organizers say that 30,000 to 50,000 are estimated to have been in the

streets at one time or another today.


At least three eyewitnesses corroborated this particular story: One

Haitian woman seized the fourth body when it fell next to her, refused

to give it to the Marines. She removed ALL her clothes to show she had

no weapons while Marines surrounded her at gunpoint as she cursed in

Kreyol (Creole), calling on the revolutionary ancestors and shouting

"Liberte ou lamo!” She picked up the dead body herself and put it on her

bare back, daring the Marines to kill her also while she carried it

away.


People who saw this cannot stop talking about it, nor marveling and

crying, all at the same time. Reportedly, the "blan" (the “white”

soldiers) looked at each other, shook their heads and backed off,

letting her carry the body which she wrapped around her naked torso in a

huge blue and red Haitian flag. All the while singing "Bring back

Aristide" and "Liberty or death."


Today's killings and arrests are seen by the demonstrators as part of

the U.S.'s 14-year campaign to destroy the Haitian poor's thirst for

their vote to be counted - just another elevated version for the hunting

down of supporters of Fanmi Lavalas, the terror campaign aimed at the

systematic dismantling of the party. For each one they kill, a thousand

more branches will rise, one demonstrator told us over the phone, just

like Toussaint Louverture and President Aristide said when they both got

abducted out of Haiti.


These Haitians we talked to believe that the violent arrest of renowned

singer and humanitarian activist Sò Anne (Annette Auguste) in the early

hours of May 10 (see last week’s Bay View) was intended to stop today's

march from taking place. Yet they confirm the Lavalas cleansing, like

ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, will only serve as a rallying point for the

people to fight on until democracy is restored and the lawful and

principled will of the Haitian masses is respected.


One Haitian directly involved in the march said, "It's unbelievable how

the U.S. Marines stood in the background sometimes as the former

disbanded soldiers and FRAPH soldiers, now in the police, slaughtered

the marchers. If they (the U.S. Marines) weren't there, the people would

take down the hated soldiers and take back their country."


Another responded, "President Aristide called for U.S. help to shore up

our old civilian police. Bush sent the Marines to shore up the people's

enemies, to help the rebels. Now they are doing this job, slaughtering

Aristide supporters under the guise of being MIF (Multinational Interim

Force) 'peacekeepers.'"


Reportedly, the Haitian National Police position today

(www.AHPhaiti.org/ndujour.html) is that Lavalas officials did not have

permission to demonstrate today because the police were not notified of

the demonstration. The permit, however, signed by Altieor James of the

Haitian National Police, duly approved the route and authorized the

demonstration. The route to be taken has been clearly delineated in the

request for the permit. A copy is available upon request.


Several tens of thousands of people began the march in Bel-Air and made

their way toward the Champ-de-Mars, as planned. Nevertheless, throughout

the day, the Haitian police, using a new SWAT unit called CIMO that

includes the bloody former Haitian military, opened fire into the air

and apparently also toward the ground.


The demonstrators retreated and the demonstration re-formed in other

parts of the capital. Besides the four killings already mentioned, there

are reports that an unknown number of demonstrators were also killed and

their bodies taken away by police in plastic bags. Many others were

arrested and put in custody.


The Multinational Interim Force was reportedly present in more massive

numbers at the Champ-de-Mars and is said to have been very hostile,

threatening and intimidating the demonstrators, aiming their weapons at

them and doing nothing to restrain the Haitian police as they

slaughtered the unarmed demonstrators.


The U.S. Marines shot twice at an American journalist who was with the

demonstrators filming the carnage - filming how this new CIMO Special

Forces team from the Haitian police were slaughtering the people as the

U.S. Marines stood in the background, when they weren't directly

participating themselves.


The fact is that the demonstrators duly alerted the Haitian police about

the demonstration a week ahead of time, sent a copy of the notification

to the UN, OAS and CARICOM, and received written approval. Those facts

should have required the U.S. Marines and other MIF to provide

protection for the demonstrators.


Under no circumstances is there legal justification for the use of

lethal force such as was used today by the U.S. Marines and former

Haitian soldiers-now-turned-police against peaceful demonstrators.

It is also reported that "students who where demonstrating, prior to the

coup d'état, against President Aristide, have joined in with the Lavalas

demonstrators demanding the occupation to end."


Eyewitnesses say that one Lavalas victim died in a hail of U.S. Marine

bullets, falling back with one hand held high making the "five-year

sign" for President Aristide to serve out his term and holding the

Haitian blue and red flag in the other hand. His body was taken away

by the U.S. Marines in a plastic bag.


At press time Tuesday night, witnesses are reporting U.S. Marine

helicopters all over the poor neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, flying

low and landing with troops in full combat gear on wartime alert mode. A

source who contacted MIF spokesperson Lt. Col. Lapan reports, “He said

that there may be violence tonight, that he feels the day is not over

yet.”



Marguerite Laurent, known as the hip hop lawyer, is an entertainment

attorney and chair of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership, a network

dedicated to protecting the civil, human and cultural rights of Haitians

at home and abroad. Visit her website at www.margueritelaurent.com

<http://www.margueritelaurent.com/> .



PHOTO #1: Titus Simpson 051804.jpg

CAPTION #1: This pro-Aristide demonstrator, Titus Simpson, 23, was shot

by Haitian Special Forces (CIMO) less than 30 yards in front of an

American journalist covering Tuesday’s march celebrating Haiti’s Flag

Day. U.S. Marines threatened the journalist with arrest for filming the

events, and he was shot at twice. Simpson was unarmed, the only item in

his possession a Walkman disk player.


PHOTO #2: Haiti Flag Day 2004.jpg

CAPTION #2: Many contingents of peaceful marchers like this one tried to

converge on Champ-de-Mars from different areas of Port-au-Prince during

Tuesday’s Flag Day march. This group of over 6,000 demonstrators was

fired on by the Haitian Special Forces (CIMO) while U.S. Marine

"peacekeepers" stood by to allow the killing.