Bulletin #1 - Jan. 26, 2007
30 Cities Join International Day in Solidarity with Haiti
So far 30 cities -- in South America, the
Caribbean, Europe, the US and Canada -- have
joined hands in the February 7th International
Day in Solidarity with the Haitian People. They
are answering the call of the popular movement in
Haiti, which is mobilizing people for February 7,
as they have been continually since the February 29, 2004 coup d'etat.
From street demonstrations and marches to
vigils, film showings and public meetings, people
in 13 countries (so far!) are uniting around the
6 demands and the central theme: Stop the War
Against the People of Haiti -- End the Foreign
Military Occupation -- Respect Haiti's Sovereignty!
Protests are being organized in Brazil, Chile,
Peru, Bolivia, the US and Canada -- countries
that provide troops for the UN military force in
Haiti --as well as in Ireland, England, Mexico,
Guyana and the Caribbean. Cities with large
Haitian communities in the US and Canada will be
mobilizing. New York will see a Haiti solidarity
demonstration at United Nations headquarters on
Feb. 7th. San Francisco and Los Angeles will
target the consulate of Brazil, whose UN military
commander in Haiti is responsible for the
massacres and the almost daily, heavy-caliber
attacks on the men, women and children who live in Cite Soleil..
This is a critical moment for Haiti. Repression
is intensifying, but the people's resistance
continues strong. Our practical solidarity can
play a key part in this life-or-death struggle.
Here is what you can do:
1. Organize an activity for Haiti on or around
Wednesday, Febuary 7 in your city or town.
2. Let us know now what you are planning --
date, time, location, type of activity, contact
information -- so we can build the
campaign. [Call +1-510-847-8657 or email
<mailto:sub at sonic.net>sub at sonic.net]. After your
event, please call or email us a report
immediately so we can publicize each city's
protest activity while the news is still fresh.
3. Circulate key documents [sent separately]:
a. The "Call to Action - International Day
in Solidarity with the Haitian People -
Coordinated International Protests on Feb. 7,
2007." In English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
b. Sept. 30th Foundation Declaration: "No to
Occupation -- No to Trusteeship" - in English and
Kreyol. And recent article: "The Coup d'Etat Continues" in French.
c. Reports on the December 22 "Christmas
massacre" in Cite Soleil; on the role of the UN
since the Feb. 29, 2004 coup; and on the current situation in Haiti.
Thank you, brothers and sisters.
The February 7th Organizing Committee
A Call to Action – Join the International Day in
Solidarity with the Haitian People
Coordinated International Protests
on February 7, 2007
*** End the Foreign Military Occupation of Haiti!
*** Stop the War against the People of Haiti!
*** Respect Haiti's Sovereignty!
Dear Activists for Haiti,
The United Nations forces in Haiti (MINUSTAH) –
backed to the hilt by the US, France and Canada –
are continuing their bloody assault on the poor
majority, targeting especially leaders and
supporters of the Lavalas grassroots democracy movement.
On December 22, 2006, some 400 UN troops
conducted another day-long raid in Bois Neuf,
Cite Soleil – an operation on the scale of the
July 6, 2005 UN massacre in the same neighborhood
– with many civilian residents dead and wounded.
Since the "Christmas massacre," UN forces have
repeatedly raided Cite Soleil shooting off their weapons.
In response, Fondasyon Trant Septanm, an
11-year-old organization of victims of the 1991
and 2004 coups d'etat in Haiti, has issued a call
for renewed protests in many cities of the world
on February 7, 2007. This is the anniversary of
the overthrow of the dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier
in 1986. Haiti will be demonstrating on that day – so should we!
The February 7th call is supported by
representatives of these grassroots organizations
in Haiti: + Comite de Defense des Droits du
Peuple Haitien (Committee in Defense of the
Rights of the Haitian People) + Confederation des
Travailleurs Haitiens (Confederation of Haitian
Workers) + Femmes Victimes Debout (Women Victims
Stand Up) + Collectif des Parents et Amis des
Prisonniers Politiques (Collective of Relatives
and Friends of Political Prisoners) +
Coordination Nationale des Organisations de
Droits Humains (National Coordination of Human Rights Organizations).
The February 7th International Day is part of a
campaign against the US/UN Occupation by the
popular movement in Haiti, leading up to February
15th when the UN Security Council is due to renew its Haiti mandate.
We need to act now in solidarity with our Haitian
sisters and brothers, whose unbreakable spirit,
in the face of severe repression, just won’t stop.
Building on the 2005 international demonstrations for Haiti
The July 6th massacre by UN troops in Cite Soleil
sparked an international campaign, culminating in
a day of solidarity actions in 15 cities and five
countries on July 21, 2005. The campaign
succeeded in breaking through the media blockade, exposing the massacre.
This was followed by the first International Day
in Solidarity with Haiti on September 30, 2005,
when coordinated actions in 47 cities in 17
countries on 4 continents condemned the bloody
US/UN occupation and demanded that Haiti's
sovereignty and democracy be respected.
Today, violent repression continues against
grassroots activists and communities – by UN
forces and paramilitary death squads [like the
Little Machete Army] created by the Haitian
National Police. We're talking not only about
killings, but sexual abuse, beatings, house
burnings, arbitrary arrests, and the prolonged,
illegal detention of people without any charges.
UN forces have been repeatedly implicated in these activities.
Our call is for each city to organize its own
Haiti solidarity activity on or around Wednesday,
February 7, 2007 – to be coordinated as a single worldwide mobilization.
It could be a march, rally, public meeting,
vigil, house meeting or civil disobedience –
whatever you are able to do – in support of the following demands:
* End the brutal US/UN Occupation – Respect Haiti’s sovereignty
* Stop the killings, sexual abuse and
massacres of the poor by UN troops, police and
paramilitaries under police control
* Free the political prisoners – No more illegal arrests & detentions
* President Aristide must be free to return
to Haiti – Respect the Haitian Constitution
* Launch an independent inquiry into the
February 29, 2004 coup and forced removal of President Aristide
* Perpetrators of the coup and massacres of
the poor must be brought to justice – Reparations for the victims
Join us in this important mobilization. Let us
know by phone or email what solidarity activity
you are organizing for on or around February 7th,
so we can build the campaign. Use your contacts
in other cities and countries to spread this movement.
For the February 7, 2007 International Day
of Solidarity with the People of Haiti,
Lavarice Gaudin, Veye Yo
Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, Fondasyon Trant Septanm
Margaret Prescod, Global Women's Strike
Dave Welsh, US Labor/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti
Contact the Feb. 7th Organizing Committee at 510-847-8657 or sub at sonic.net
The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org
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