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The capitalist media refers to it as a 'popular uprising', but what we are
seeing in Haiti today is an attempted coup d'etat underway, most likely
engineered by the US imperialists years ago. Who are the members of the
'opposition' engaged in the present 'uprising'? The answer is, the Haitian
'opposition' includes torturers and death squad members pf the FRAPH, who
wreaked havoc in Haiti when they were previously able to force Aristide
from power. The FRAPH were in fact backed by the CIA in those years and
largely their creation.
The list of the present opposition's leaders is filled with the 'usual suspects'. These include Louis Jodel Chamblain, who was a leader of the murderous, CIA-backed FRAPH, who was convicted of killing Antoine Izmery, a pro-democracy activist in 1993 and then convicted in 1994 for killings associated with the infamous 'Raboteau Massacre'. Another is Jean Pierre, who was also a FRAPH leader, at the local level, and was also convicted of murder in association with the Raboteau Massacre; he was serving a life sentence until escaping from jail in 2002. Then there is Guy Philippe, who was a US-trained soldier in the Haitian Army, who has attempted three coups in the last four years. The simple fact is, President Aristide was legally elected by the people of Haiti and then more recently re-elected. In that most recent election, President Astride received 92% of all votes cast (and while the capitalist media has suggested that election was 'tainted', the claims of electoral irregularities arose in relation to the election of candidates to the Haitian Senate--the Presidential vote has not in question). When the so-called 'opposition' seized control of the city of Gonaives, they killed over fifty people in the first week alone. Of those killed, 14 were members of the police. Some of the police killed had their bodies mutilated and then dragged through the streets of Gonaives. Moreover, the 'opposition' declared that they would attack anyone who opposed the overthrow of the Haitian president - a threat which they amplified by carry out a number of beatings, killings, and destruction of homes of Astride supporters. Reluctantly, France and the US have given halting support to the concept of some form of international police force being sent into Haiti under UN command to maintain peace and order, though both are attempting to link this to some form of agreement which will immediately or in the near future force Astride from office. In other words, they are seeking to use the UN to achieve the coup d' etat that is underway. Haiti remains the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and Aristide's attempts to address this through improved wages and factory conditions for Haitian workers, expanded social services, and campaigns to eradicate hunger and provide education to the poor is the reason why there is so much animosity against his Presidency from the imperialist nations. The IRSP condemns those engaged in the present efforts to destroy Haiti's fledgling democracy and re-enslave the impoverished working people of that nation. Moreover, the IRSP condemns the mainstream media for their slavish parroting of the lies of the imperialists and the white-washing of the murderers and torturers posturing as the Haitian 'opposition'. Haiti has suffered through a series of vicious and bloody neo-colonial regimes for far too long; the democratic government of Haiti must be defended. STATEMENTS ENDS |