[News] Haiti-Honduras Vigil Wed. Aug 12 SF - Return Lovinsky, Aristide & Zelaya!

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Haiti/Honduras Vigil: Wednesday, Aug. 12 - 4:30 pm
Brazilian Consulate - 300 Montgomery St. (at Pine, nr Montgomery BART), SF

Haitians and Hondurans are still in the streets 
protesting political kidnappings and coups.
Return Lovinsky!   Return Aristide!   Return Zelaya!


August 12, 2009 marks 2 years since the 
kidnapping and disappearance of Haitian human 
rights leader Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. Yet the 
authorities have sat on their hands.

Haitian President Aristide and Honduran President 
Zelaya - both kidnapped from their homes in the 
middle of the night and flown into exile in 
US-sponsored military coups - are still in exile 
and not permitted to return home. This is intolerable.

It is two years since human rights advocate 
Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine was kidnapped in Haiti. 
We are with the people of Haiti who have been 
living under occupation since their elected 
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was kidnapped 
and forced into exile in 2004 by a US military 
coup, and with the people of Honduras whose 
president Manuel Zelaya was kidnapped and removed 
by a military coup in June 2009.

Please join Haiti Action Committee Wednesday, 
August 12th, to observe the second anniversary of 
the kidnapping and disappearance of grassroots 
organizer and leader, Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine.

Meet in front of the Brazilian Consulate at 300 
Montgomery Street in San Francisco, 4:30PM. 
[Brazil heads up MINUSTAH, the United Nations 
military force that has been occupying Haiti 
since soon after US special troops kidnapped 
President and Mrs. Aristide in 2004 and flew them 
to exile in Africa aboard a US military plane.]

Lovinsky was kidnapped and disappeared in Haiti 
on August 12th, 2007 shortly after meeting with a 
US-Canadian human rights delegation.  As a member 
of Fanmi Lavalas, Brother Pierre-Antoine is an 
extraordinary grassroots organizer and leading 
advocate for the poor, including street children, 
teenage mothers and victims of torture.

Despite international actions demanding an 
investigation into Lovinsky's disappearance, 
there has been no effective effort by either the 
UN in Haiti or the Preval government to locate 
Lovinsky and secure his safe return, or to hold 
those responsible for his disappearance accountable.

Join with Haiti's grassroots movement on August 
12, together with friends and comrades in Haiti, 
Grenada, Los Angeles, London, and elsewhere, in 
events demanding the return of our dear brother, 
Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. End the US/UN 
occupation! Brazil out of Haiti! Free the 
political prisoners! Return Presidents 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Manuel Zelaya!

Here is last year's message of solidarity from Mumia Abu-Jamal:

For Haitians, this coming August is a reminder of 
the kidnapping and disappearance of their 
brother, Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, who was taken 
after a meeting with a US-Canadian human rights 
delegation visiting Haiti in mid-August, 2007.

Pierre-Antoine is a co-founder of the Fondayson 
Trant Septenm, (Kreyol for September 30th 
Foundation), a group which assisted and supported 
the people who during (and especially after) the 
1991 and 2004 coups against the 
democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand 
Aristide.  Members of the Fondayson have been targeted for years.

Around the world, activists have been organizing 
in Lovinsky's support, calling on various 
governments, from Haiti's President Rene Preval, 
Brazil (which forms the bulk of the United 
Nations forces in the country), Canada, the US 
and France, which organized the latest coup against Haitian democracy.

When Pierre-Antoine was abducted, it forced other 
democracy and human rights activists in Haiti to 
go into hiding to avoid waves of state repression.

Haiti has a proud and illustrious career on the 
world's stage, becoming the first free Black 
republic in the West after its 1804 revolution 
against France, which abolished slavery almost 70 
years before the US Civil War spelled the end to 
human bondage in the US.  Their freedom spread 
the bright lights of liberty and independence 
throughout the Caribbean, and when South America 
rose against Spain, it was to Haiti that their 
Liberator Simon Bolivar turned for support, arms, and a place to rest.

For their bold struggle to bring Black freedom to 
the West, the US and Europe have unleashed an 
unholy war.  France forced reparations (!) on 
Haiti -- an act unprecedented in history, forcing 
the victor in war to pay away it's wealth for 
almost a century.  The US repeatedly invaded the 
country, brutalized its people, and imposed an 
assortment of puppet dictators to exploit the 
country for foreign benefit, and national impoverishment, for generations!

Because Haiti's popularly elected Bertrand 
Aristide dared to oppose Haiti's rich elite, and 
tried to make things nominally better for its 
peasantry, US Marines forced him into exile.

Because Lovinsky comes from the popular mass 
movements, he was snatched off the streets of 
Haiti a year ago, and the movement is building to 
bring him back home to his family, his community, 
and the popular movements of which he was a part.
Haiti must never be forgotten, and neither must 
we forget Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. 7/30/08 (c) '08 Mumia Abu-Jamal

Behind the kidnappings of these political leaders 
[excerpted from an article circulated by Global Women's Strike]:

Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine is co-ordinator of 
Fondasyon 30 Septanm for survivors of the 
military coups against Aristide, and an advocate 
for those with the least, starting with women and 
street children. He was kidnapped on August 12, 
2007, two weeks after announcing he would run for 
the Haitian Senate. The grassroots in Haiti hold 
weekly vigils demanding his return and the return 
of Aristide, who was forced into exile in 2004 by 
a Bush administration military coup backed by Canada and France.

Latin American governments have rightly condemned 
the recent coup in Honduras and have been working 
for the return of President Jose Manuel Zelaya, 
but in contrast, they have collaborated with the 
occupation of Haiti....UN occupying forces in 
Haiti continue to be headed by Brazil and include 
troops from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, 
Paraguay and Uruguay. Only Caricom (a grouping of 
the English-speaking Caribbean, Suriname and 
Haiti) and Venezuela have spoken out; Cuba 
continues to provide doctors to Haiti.

President Aristide, a liberation theology priest 
with a 91.8% mandate (2000 election), was removed 
because he fought to eliminate poverty. His 
policies angered the Haitian elite and the US 
which profit from sweatshops, privatisation and 
the import of [US] rice which has destroyed the 
local agriculture and contributed to starvation. 
Like Zelaya in Honduras and Chávez in Venezuela 
(who also faced a coup in 2002), Aristide 
increased the minimum wage, and invested in food, health and education.

Now, former US President Bill Clinton is pushing 
US policy to expand sweatshops in Haiti under the 
guise of global investments – and the UN 
occupiers are responsible for many rapes and 
murders, including recently opening fire on 
mourners at the funeral of Father Jean-Juste, 
another liberation theology priest....

Despite pressure from those in power to 
participate in elections, grassroots people in 
Haiti organized “Operation Closed Door”. This 
massive boycott of the US-financed ($17 million) 
elections was organised after all candidates from 
Aristide’s party Fanmi Lavalas were banned from 
running.  The boycott was an outstanding success 
– only 3% voted, a fantastic example of 
grassroots organizing and solidarity!  The ban 
[on Lavalas] came the day after a meeting between 
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the 
present Haitian President, Preval. The reason for 
the ban?: Lavalas usually takes over 85% of the vote.

Haitians have been made to pay for their 
1791-1804 revolution which overthrew slavery, 
making way for emancipation in the region and for 
liberation movements everywhere. The world owes a 
great debt to the Haitian people. They have never 
given up. [Courtesy of Global Women's Strike.] 
Read more about Brother Pierre-Antoine 
here:<http://www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?id=205>http://www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?id=205

Haiti Action Committee
Information: 
<http://www.haitisolidarity.net/>www.Haitisolidarity.net 
www.globalwomenstrike.net  <http://www.haitiaction.net>www.haitiaction.net




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