[News] Haiti eyewitness - Aug 2 forum in SF

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Haiti Eyewitness - A War on the Poor Majority

Tuesday, August 2nd -- 7:00 p.m.

Women's Building - 3543 - 18th Street, SF [betw Valencia & Guerrerro in 
the  Mission]

Co-sponsored by Haiti Action Committee and the ANSWER Coalition

*   Dave Welsh, San Francisco Labor Council delegate, just back from a
Labor/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti

*   Doug Spalding, public high school teacher and human rights monitor, 
just returned from Haiti

*   Pierre Labossiere, Haiti Action Committee

*   Gloria La Riva, ANSWER Coalition

*   Video footage documenting the July 6th massacre of civilians by UN 
troops in Cite Soleil

"What's happening in Haiti is a monstrous crime – an all-out war on the 
poor majority," said Dave Welsh, with the Labor/Human Rights Delegation 
just returned from Haiti. "The US has prepared the crime, and now the 
National Police and UN forces are committing it – slaughtering people in 
the poor neighborhoods that support Aristide.... arresting respected 
grassroots leaders like Father Jean-Juste and Paul Raymond....and trying to 
shut down the few remaining independent media like AHP and Radio Solidarite.

"While our delegation was in Haiti, we interviewed and filmed over 100 
workers, peasants and professionals from many parts of Haiti," Welsh said. 
"They told us there is no democracy in Haiti today, that the sham elections 
set for this fall are just an attempt to legitimize the illegal coup regime.

"Terrorize the poor majority....lock up their grassroots leaders....and 
choke off the independent press – this is the program of the US-backed 
regime."

Since the July 6th massacre in Cite Soleil, there have been demonstrations 
in five countries, including 15-city coordinated protests on July 21st in 
the US, Canada, France and Brazil --  demanding a halt to the killings, 
freedom for political prisoners, and respect for Haiti's sovereignty and 
restoration of its democratically-elected government. Despite heavy 
repression, 5,000 people demonstrated in Cite Soleil to condemn the killings.

The coup regime may have the guns [courtesy of US taxpayers].  But they 
don't have the people. "The US and UN are bent on no less than the 
destruction of the Lavalas movement, which is to say the movement of the 
vast majority of the Haitian people," said Doug Spalding, human rights 
monitor in Haiti. "But we cannot allow this to happen."

The movement is building. You can be part of it. The Haitian people need 
you to be part of it.
Come to this forum, see the video footage, hear first-hand reports, and 
decide for yourself.

For more information, call ANSWER at 415-821-6545, or the Haiti Action 
Committee at 510-483-7481.





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