[van-announce] Fw: Rally this Saturday for Haiti

[Charles Boylan]

** Please circulate widely**

What: Rally in Commemoration of one year anniversary of Haiti coup.

When: Saturday, February 26th, 1 P.M.

Where: U.S. Consulate, 1095 West Pender St.

Please join Haiti Solidarity B.C. for one of 30 actions taking place around the world this weekend in solidarity with the people of Haiti, one year after the state-sponsored coup d'etat that overthrew the democratically elected government of President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

The governments of the United States, Canada and France were a party to the coup. We are particularly outraged by the role of the Canadian government in Haiti, in both the coup d'etat and subsequent occupation. Paul Martin and other top Canadian government officials have travelled to Haiti and played a leading role in attempting to legitimize the post-coup Latortue regime and its violent  repression of Lavalas, Haiti's majority political party. The protest on Saturday and continuing educational work will aim to reach a broad audience with information about the role that Canada is currently playing in Haiti.

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On Monday, February 28, a small delegation will visit the office of MP David Emerson to present a recent human rights report written by lawyer Thomas Griffin for the University of Miami Center for Human Rights. In gruesome and extensive detail, Mr. Griffin's report reveals the human rights disaster that is unfolding in Haiti, with thousands killed and hundreds imprisoned by the repression of the Latortue regime and the occupying forces.

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Haiti Solidarity BC was recently founded by  concerned residents of greater Vancouver dedicated to getting out the facts about events in Haiti. The group's first activity was sponsorship of a  speaking tour of Kevin Pina, a journalist, filmmaker and resident of Haiti. Pina spoke to public meetings of 60 people in Victoria on February 10 and  200 people in Vancouver on February 11, to student and labor groups, and was  interviewed by local media.

To join our mailing list, please mail to haitisolidaritybc at yahoo.ca

Paul Martin: "There are no political prisoners in Haiti."
Ken Rockburn, speaking on "Talk Politics" on CPAC televison channel, http://www.cpac.ca/, aired nationally, February 21, 2004:

"On February 29, 2004 ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his wife were forced to flee and go into exile. Since then, Haiti has been ruled by the allegedly U.S.-installed government of Gerard Latortue. Latortue does not enjoy a large following.  The black, largely illiterate majority of Haitians continue to support Aristide. But it appears that Aristide party supporters, aka Lavalas, are paying a heavy price for their loyalty. An estimated 3,000 Haitians have been murdered by Latortue's
military since the February 29, 2004 coup."

Further information on Haiti:
www.haitiaction.net
www.law.miami.edu/cshr



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