Haitian Community to Demonstrate Against Visit of Haiti's De Facto Prime Minister
Hundreds of Haitians and their supporters will demonstrate on Saturday, May 14, 2005 from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. outside the Puck Building at 295 Lafayette Street in Manhattan to protest a fundraising event where the de facto Prime Minister of Haiti Gérard Latortue will be honored.
The 250-a-plate gala affair, entitled the 201st Haitian Independence Celebration Fundraising Ball, is sponsored by the Haitian Consulate, the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad, the weekly newspaper Haitian Times, and the National Medical Association.
But a coalition of Haitian grassroots groups is organizing a protest action against Latortue's visit, which falls near the May 18th anniversary of the Haitian flag.
"Haiti today is under a reign of terror," said Jacques Dossous of the Lavalas Family party, one of the organizations calling the demonstration. "Latortue's government has killed thousands, illegally jailed hundreds more and driven the vast majority into unprecedented poverty. He is a puppet of the U.S. and France, which orchestrated the coup and military occupation."
President Jean Bertrand Aristide was kidnapped from his home by U.S. Special Forces soldiers on Feb. 29, 2005 and was flown into exile in Africa.
"They are trampling our flag and constitution," said Berthony Dupont of the Haiti Support Network, another demonstration sponsor. "Just as the people in Haiti demonstrate every week against the government, we here in New York are also going to let Latortue feel our outrage and determination to fight for a return of democracy in Haiti."
The coalition of groups sponsoring the demonstration also includes the National Popular Party (PPN), Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network, KAKOLA, Komite Chalo Jaklen, Lakou New York, Patizan Jezikri and Pawòl Fanm.
The coalition is also organizing a march on Wednesday, May 18 from 3 to 8 p.m. from the corner of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue to Vanderbilt and St. Mark's Avenue , where they will demonstrate at the offices of the Haitian Times, a Latortue booster.
"We are demanding an end to Haiti's military occupation and puppet government, an end to the slaughter of the Haitian people, no sham elections this fall and the immediate return of President Aristide," said Jan Stefan of the Komite Chalo Jaklen.
North American organizations such as the ANSWER Coalition and the International Action Center (IAC) are also supporting the demonstrations.
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