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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=3><b>AHP News - December 26, 2003 -
English translation (Unofficial)<br><br>
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</font><h5><b>Tens of thousands of supporters of Lavalas demonstrate in
favor of respect for the Constitution; several thousand members of the
Group of 184 demonstrate to call for the ouster of the authorities<br>
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<br><br>
</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince, December 26,
2003 -(AHP)-</b> Several tens of thousands of supporters of Fanmi Lavalas
demonstrated Friday to call for respect for the full term in office for
President Jean Bertrand Aristide as provided under the Constitution and
to ask the political parties of the Group of 184 to take part in
elections if they wish to hold power. <br><br>
Setting forth from outside the Eglise du Perpétuel Secours church in Bel
Air, the demonstration gained strength the length of its route, the crowd
chanting slogans and singing patriotic songs punctuated by prayers, and
asking Haitians to unite to celebrate the bicentennial of national
independence. <br><br>
They appealed to the new leader of the opposition, André Apaid, to end
what they called the funding of the campaign of destabilization that can
only slow down the country's development. They also asked students who
are part of the political coalition of the 184 to join the ranks of the
population despite the ephemeral privileges they are enjoying today.
<br><br>
The demonstrators paused in front of several foreign embassies including
the U.S. and French Embassies to ask that Haiti be given "a
chance". <br><br>
" Do not become accomplices of those who are bent on upheaval and
violence", chanted the demonstrators outside the U.S. Embassy.
<br><br>
In front of the French Embassy, they denounced the "paying of funds
to sabotage the celebration of the bicentennial of Haiti's
independence". <br><br>
The Haitian authorities are asking France to pay restitution in the
amount of $21 billion in return for the massive double debt of
independence imposed upon Haiti by France, including 90 million gold
francs paid to France beginning under Haiti's President Boyer, pursuant
to France's 1825 ultimatum, which was the price for recognition of
Haiti's independence after Haiti had suffered the brutal acts of the
colonial period. <br><br>
Several government officials, many students, members of civil society,
officials of Fanmi Lavalas and members of Parliament took part in the
demonstration alongside tens of thousands of supporters of the party in
power. <br><br>
Deputy Rudy Hérivaux said that this demonstration is tangible evidence
that the population is disposed to compel the Coalition of 184 to respect
the Constitution. <br><br>
The opposition has the right to demonstrate, but it has no right to call
for the trampling of the Constitution of 1987 and to engage in acts of
violence in an effort to oust a democratically elected president.
<br><br>
Two Lavalas activists were killed on December 22 during a demonstration
by the Group of 184. <br><br>
Several other members of Parliament said that the Haitian people will
never fall to its knees before those they call the neo-colonists who they
say wish to maintain the population in a state of misery. <br><br>
The demonstrators said that the majority will be in front of the National
Palace every day to keep an eye out for any attempted coups. It will also
be in front of the National Palace and in Gonaïves on January 1st, 2004,
to celebrate. <br><br>
At the same time, several thousand supporters of the opposition along
with students demonstrated Friday in Port-au-Prince to call again for the
ouster of the elected government. <br><br>
Some other sources, including AP, estimated that the demonstrators from
the Group of 184 only numbered several hundred on Friday. <br><br>
The demonstration set forth from Place Boyer in Pétion-Ville and ended at
the Place Jérémie, after having passed through a large part of the
capital. <br><br>
The police provided a high degree of security for demonstrators, who on
this occasion adhered to the route they had submitted to the police.
<br><br>
Several political leaders including André Apaid, Paul Denis and Micha
Gaillard took part in the anti-government demonstration. <br><br>
<br>
</font><h5><b>AHP December 26, 2003 3:45
PM</b></h5><font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
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