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<font size=3>Emergency Demonstration<br>
<b> <br>
<i>Break the Silence – Tell the Truth About HAITI<br>
<br>
</i>Take Your ANGER to BUSH and POWELL<br>
<u> <br>
</u><i>Protest the U.S.-Led Occupation of HAITI<br>
</i> <br>
Thursday, October 28, 2004<br>
4:30 p.m. Gather at Powell & Market<br>
5:00 p.m. March on Bush and Powell<br>
<br>
</b><i>BRING DRUMS, POTS AND PANS TO MAKE NOISE<br>
</i> <br>
The Haitian people steadfastly demand the return of President Jean
Bertrand Aristide since the culmination of the U.S.-sponsored coup on
February 29<sup>th</sup>. The U.S.-appointed, Latortue government
has responded by jailing hundreds of Lavalas supporters, including
leading activists and several members of the former government. These
political prisoners have been illegally detained for months – none have
been tried.<br>
<br>
Undaunted, tens of thousands of Lavalas supporters marched in
Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitian on September 30 to mark the anniversary of
the previous coup from 1991-4. Units from the National Police fired
on these peaceful demonstrations while United Nations “peacekeepers”
stood by and did nothing. The next morning, de facto Prime Minister
Gerard Latortue boasted at a press conference: "We opened fire on
demonstrators; some of them have been killed, others injured, and still
others fled.” <br>
<br>
Two days later, three leaders of Lavalas were arrested October 2 at Radio
Caraibe after criticizing the interim government on air. On
Wednesday, October 13 authorities arrested and roughed-up Father
Jean-Juste – a beloved priest, activist and pacifist -- while he served
600 hungry children in his parish. Hundreds more have been
arrested and many dozens killed just in the past two weeks.<br>
<br>
As of October 15, the tenth anniversary of Aristide’s return from the
previous coup, the popular neighborhoods such as Cite Soleil and Bel Air
were under siege by the police -- augmented by the hated former military,
as well as U.N. troops. <br>
<br>
While these deadly attacks continued, U.S. State Department
chief-spokesman Richard Boucher absurdly blamed Lavalas supporters for
this state-sponsored violence, calling on their movement to "break
with [its] legacy of violence and criminality." The message
from the Latortue government is clear: “Haitians no longer have human
rights.”<br>
<br>
The people of Haiti will not back down. They will defend their
neighborhoods. They will not give up their demand to return to the
constitutional, elected government under President Aristide.<br>
<br>
<b><i>The People of HAITI Need Your SOLIDARITY Now More Than Ever.<br>
</i></b> <br>
For More Information, CONTACT the HAITI ACTION COMMITTEE:<br>
<a href="http://www.haitiaction.net /" eudora="autourl">www.haitiaction.net
</a>
haitiaction@yahoo.com
510.483.7481<br><br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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