[IPSM] Protests Against Colonization Mark Haitian Flag Day in Canada

[Dru Oja Jay]

http://dominionpaper.ca/canadian_news/2005/05/31/protests_a.html

Protests Against Colonization Mark Haitian Flag Day in Canada

Every May 18th, Haitians celebrate their independence and freedom on 
"flag day". That freedom was won over 200 years ago, when the majority 
slave population of Haiti revolted, successively repelling the forces 
of France, Spain and England before finally gaining independence in 
1804. The nation's victory was far from sweet, and the world's only 
republic of ex-slaves faced two centuries of embargoes, invasions, 
gunboat diplomacy, economic exploitation, an oppressive elite and a 
string of US-sponsored dictatorships.

This year, Haitians and Canadian solidarity groups have targeted what 
they call Canada's central role in the dismantling of democracy in 
Haiti. Demonstrations were held in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and 
Vancouver calling for an end to Canada's role in Haiti.

"Canada's current involvement in Haiti is that of a colonizer," said 
Magalie X, an organizer with Vwa Zanzet, a Haitian organization based 
in Montréal and Ottawa. Magalie says that Canada is lending support to 
the "illegitimate" Latortue regime, which replaced an entire 
democratically elected government in 2004. She says also points out 
that Canadian RCMP are training the Haitian police, "which kill the 
poor people of Belair and Cité Soleil".

During Flag Day protests in Haiti, police shot and killed three unarmed 
protesters. It was the latest in a string of incidents where police 
have fired on crowds of tens of thousands from poor neighborhoods 
demanding the return of their elected government.

The Canadian-trained police force has killed at least a dozen unarmed 
protesters in recent months.

While Paul Martin has publicly called for the de facto government to 
allow for the participation of members of the ousted government in 
future elections, Canadian officials have been silent on the issue of 
police killing unarmed protesters.

Haiti-based independent journalist Kevin Pina has called the 
Canadian-sponsored plans for an election a sham, saying that fair 
elections cannot possibly take place in the context of widespread 
political repression. Other critics have taken the Canadian government 
to task for funding the political opponents of elected Prime Minister 
Yvonne Neptune, who has been held without charge for several months.

Protests demanding "Canada out of Haiti" were held in Halifax and 
Vancouver. In Ottawa, the Canada-Haiti Solidarity Committee picketed 
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) offices. According to 
committee member Kevin Skerrett, CIDA "has been funding highly partisan 
NGOs that are presenting themselves as independent and non-partisan 
actors."

"[The National Coalition for Haitian Rights] NCHR in particular, has 
been the primary source of completely unsubstantiated allegations 
against [elected Prime Minister] Yvon Neptune and other Lavalas 
leaders."

Skerrett said that the committee had received "not a single word of 
response" to accusations of CIDA's complicity in an illegal coup in 
Haiti.

Skerrett says that groups like NCHR are receiving tens of millions 
dollars from the Canadian government to prosecute former elected 
officials for an alleged massacre, but pay no mind to reports of police 
repression and violence from the current government. The press, he 
adds, has been complicit in turning the blind eye to the government's 
record.

"It attracts no particular attention, because the right people are 
dying."

The group also visited the French Embassy to "re-present, on behalf of 
Haitian people, the petition calling for reparations." Before being 
removed from office, President Aristide had demanded that France repay 
money that it had extorted from Haiti after its independence. The new 
Canadian-backed de facto government has dropped the demand.

According to Skerrett, "no one from the embassy was willing to 
physically accept the petition." Eventually, an RCMP officer that was 
guarding the embassy agreed to deliver the document.

A "march for decolonization and self determination" was held in 
Montréal on the 15th, with Haitian, indigenous and solidarity groups 
participating.

Dru Oja Jay