[News] Protesters clash with police following rain in Haiti

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Protesters clash with police following rain in Haiti
http://haitiaction.net/News/HIP/2_11_10/2_11_10.html


Protesters clash with police following rain in Haiti

by Kevin Pina
February 11, 2010

Port au Prince, Haiti - 
<http://www.teledyol.net/HIP/about.html>HIP ­ 
About one inch of rain fell on the capital of 
Port au Prince early this morning sparking angry 
protests that tied up traffic near the airport for nearly four hours.

At 4:30 am as the rain began to fall a collective 
wail could be heard rising from the makeshift 
camps of those left homeless due to a massive 
earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12. Cries 
of helplessness and misery quickly turned into 
shouts of anger and invectives against Haitian 
president Rene Preval as thousands then took to 
the streets in several spontaneous street demonstrations.

Throughout one of the largest marches that headed 
towards the United Nations headquarters located 
near the airport protesters also sang, “If 
Aristide was here he would be soaked along with 
us.” The reference was to former president 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was ousted in a coup 
in 2004 and continues to live in exile in the 
Republic of South Africa. Aristide offered to 
return to Haiti to assist in relief and 
reconstruction efforts but Preval and the Obama 
administration have rebuffed the offer. The U.S. 
currently has as many as 20,000 US Marines on the 
ground ostensibly to aid in relief efforts 
following the quake that killed an estimated 
200,000 and left more than a one million homeless.

A quick visit to the homeless camps in the center 
of the capital showed why the homeless victims of 
the quake feel as if the pace of relief efforts 
has been too slow. Lack of proper shelter and 
sanitation left children lying in pools of water 
clearly contaminated by nearby feces as families 
desperately tried to salvage and dry out their 
belongings as the morning sun broke through the clouds.

Before today’s rain epidemics of diarrhea, flu, 
scabies, ringworm and many other preventable 
diseases were already raging through the 
makeshift camps that are estimated to be home to 
more than 300,000 people in the capital alone. 
The situation has grown increasingly desperate 
during the past week as complaints of corruption 
and incompetence in managing relief efforts by 
the Preval government and the UN have grown in 
proportion from the camp residents.

“We can’t take this anymore!,” shouted the 
protestors as the march snaked through traffic 
towards the Touissaint Louverture Airport 
currently under the control of the US military. 
As the march approached UN headquarters where 
relief efforts are currently being organized a 
line of shield and club wielding Haitian riot 
police barred their progress. The police held the 
march back as a short scuffle broke out with 
angry protesters demanding tents, food, water and 
the return of former president Aristide to help 
in relief efforts. Two protesters received minor 
scrapes and injuries as the police pushed a few 
of them towards a deep canal lining the road 
where they fell in. There were no reports of 
injuries to the police as the march turned back 
and protesters began blocking the main road to 
the airport with large rocks and debris.

©2010 <http://www.teledyol.net/HIP/about.html>Haiti Information Project




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