Coordinated Multi-City International Protests on Thursday, July 21, 2005

Emergency protests are set for Thursday, July 21 — in Brazil and 13 North American cities — to condemn the massacre of at least 23 Haitian civilians on July 6th in the popular neighborhood of Cite Soleil, by UN troops under Brazilian command. The protests call for UN troops and Haitian authorities to stop the killings; for all UN soldiers from 20 nations to leave Haiti now; and for the restoration of Haiti's sovereignty and constitutional rule.

Coordinated protests will take place July 21st in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa (at the Brazilian embassies); in Miami, Montreal, New York, Toronto and San Francisco (at Brazilian consulates general); as well as in Minneapolis, San Jose (California), Halifax (Nova Scotia), Vancouver, Winnipeg (Manitoba), and Boston. [See below for times and locations.]

In Brazil, unions and high-level leaders belonging to the CUT labor federation have organized a labor delegation to the capital of Brasilia, for an audience with President Lula da Silva on July 21st, to discuss their concern about the actions and presence of UN troops in Haiti, acting under Brazilian command. They will also rally in front of the Planalto Palace, seat of Brazil's federal government, and present a petition to Lula, signed by a long list of prominent Brazilians, demanding immediate withdrawal of all Brazilian troops from Haiti and respect for Haiti's sovereignty.

The labor delegation's rally and meeting with President Lula is timed to coincide with the coordinated demonstrations in North America, and will kick off a series of meetings and rallies in major Brazilian cities. These actions are being organized by a coalition that includes CUT unionists, the Movimento Negro Unificado [Unified Black Movement] and Campanha Haiti [Brazil Out of Haiti Campaign].

The Brazilian unionists made it clear they were taking up the demands of the Haitian community and solidarity movement in North America, based on the findings of the Labor/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti and eyewitness reports of the July 6th massacre. The CUT is the largest labor federation in Brazil.

Meanwhile, in Paris, the Haitian community will mount a demonstration July 30th at Place de la Republique, condemning the July 6th UN massacre of civilians in Cite Soleil, and demanding an end to the US/UN occupation of Haiti and the return of the democratically-elected government of President Aristide.

The international campaign -- with protests in five countries -- kicked off on July 13th, when Father Gerard Jean-Juste, pastor of St. Claire Church in Port-au-Prince, flew to Miami to lead a demonstration at the Brazilian consulate general in Miami. Jean-Juste and Haitian community leaders met with Brazilian diplomats for nearly three hours to protest the UN massacre in Cite Soleil.

The campaign picked up steam the following day, on July 14th, when despite heavy repression and continued killings by UN forces, more than 5,000 people demonstrated in Cite Soleil to condemn the UN massacre in their neighborhood on July 6th. They chanted for the return of President Aristide, and demanded prison for the leaders and backers of the coup regime.

Also on July 14th, Father Jean-Juste was 'denounced' on a right-wing Haitian radio program in Florida, saying he was returning to Haiti on American Airlines, with the implicit threat that something bad might and should happen to him.

The next day Jean-Juste was searched and questioned for 20 minutes by US authorities at the Miami airport. On arrival in Port-au-Prince he was detained by Haitian National Police for two hours and ordered to report to a judge to face possible criminal charges.

The citizens of Cite Soleil, Father Jean-Juste and the internationally coordinated demonstrations on July 21st are shining a spotlight on the crimes committed by the US/UN occupation on July 6th in Cite Soleil. Clearly the coup regime feels threatened by these revelations, and are retaliating against our courageous brother. Defending Fr. Jean-Juste is an integral part of this campaign.

Organizers emphasized that UN troops, who have been in Haiti since June 2004, are there as a proxy force doing the bidding of the US government -- replacements for the US, French and Canadian troops who assisted in the February 29, 2004 coup d'etat that overthrew the constitutional government of President Aristide.

Demonstrations in 13 cities on July 21 condemning UN massacre in Cite Soleil

Boston - Picket 5:30 to 8 pm at the Haitian Consulate, 545 Boylston Street

Halifax, Nova Scotia - Picket 5 pm at the US Consulate, 1969 Upper Water Street

Miami - Picket Brazilian Consulate, 80 SW 8th Street, Miami, at 11 a.m.

Minneapolis - Leaflet the light rail system in early pm....Meet 4:30 pm at LRT Station near Hennepin Govt Center, 3rd Av & 5th St....Walk at 5 pm to Federal Bldg, then march to the Star-Tribune (small park across the street) at 5th & Portland, to protest Haiti newspaper coverage.

Montreal - Assemble 3 pm, Dorchester Sq, Peel & Rene Levesque (Metro Peel)....March departing 4 pm to Brazilian Consulate, 2000 Mansfield (cor.DeMaisonneuve)....Rally till 6 pm.

New York - Picket 4-7 pm, Brazilian Consulate, 1185 Ave. of the Americas (6th Av), nr 47th St

Ottawa/Gatineau - Picket Brazilian embassy, 450 Wilbrod St (Sandy Hill district), Noon-1 pm

San Francisco - Assemble 4 pm Powell & Market (Powell St BART), March at 4:30 pm down Market Street to rally at Brazilian Consulate General, 300 Montgomery, till 6 pm

San Jose, California - Picket French consulate, 2 North 2nd St, 11:30-12:30 and 4-6 pm

Toronto - Picket the Brazilian Consulate General, 77 Bloor Street West, beginning 1 pm

Vancouver - Federal government offices and corporate media will be targeted. For locations and times, go to haitisolidaritybc@yahoo.ca

Washington, D.C. - Protest 12-5pm at Brazil embassy, 3009 Whitehaven St. NW (at Mass Av)

Winnipeg, Manitoba - Protest 1 pm at SNC-Lavalin, one of the biggest Canadian corporate profiteers from the occupation of Haiti, 1600 Van Ness (at St. James St near Polo Park mall)

For more information, contact:

Dave Welsh, Labor/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti - sub@sonic.net

EMERGENCY PROTEST!
Stop U.N. "Peacekeeper" massacres in Haiti!

Thursday, July 21st
Gather: 4 P.M. - Powell and Market, San Francisco

See Also:

Evidence mounts of a UN massacre in Haiti In the early morning hours of July 6, more than 350 UN troops stormed the seaside shantytown of Cite Soleil in a military operation with the stated purpose of halting violence in Haiti. The successful goal of the mission was to assassinate a 31 year-old man and his lieutenants that Haiti's rightwing media and reactionary business community had labeled a bandit and armed of supporter of ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. July 12