5,000 in Haiti protest UN massacre in Cite Soleil

Kevin Pina interviews Georges Honorat

Flashpoints Radio July 14, 2005

Kevin Pina: From Berkely California this is Kevin Pina on Flashpoints radio here on Pacifica. With me now direct from Port au Prince is Georges Honorat, a Haitian journalist who works with Haiti-Progres. Georges we're hearing today about a large demonstration in Cite Soleil. Of course we know Cite Soleil was the site of an alleged massacre by United Nations forces a few days ago, last week on July 6th. Georges what do you know now about what's going on in Cite Soleil?

Georges Honorat: Ok, two days ago the Lavalas base in Cite Soleil announced a big demonstration...as you said, to protest the massacre of Wednesday, July 6th organized by the MINUSTAH and the [Haitian] National Police, where a minimum of fifty people died among them children and women. And since one or two o'clock this morning MINUSTAH, the soldiers of MINUSTAH from their tanks in Cite Soleil, mainly in Cite Boston, that is part of Cite Soleil. They fired upon peoples houses where - we don't have the names yet - but three children died, nine years old, five years old and four years old.

Pina: You're saying at one o'lock this morning the United Nations forces, who are also called MINUSTAH, opened fire on Cite Soleil again?

Honorat: Yes, since midnight I would say, midnight, one o'clock and they were firing on Cite Boston...and they killed three children...we can't find their names yet but we will. They also fired upon the church, Notre Dame Immacules, and the front door made of steel blew up. And certainly they attacked the people to intimidate them in order [to get them] not to participate in the demonstrations. But the people threw bottles and rocks at the MINUSTAH so they had to drive back and the people cut [off] the roads so the tanks could not enter Cite Soleil. Finally, the demonstration started around 10:30 A.M. and they were like five thousand strong and protesting against, asking for the illegal government to leave the country so that President Aristide could return and finish his mandate and organize free fair and democratic elections. The demonstration finished in peace around 12:45 P.M.

Pina: People here are asking me and they're having a hard time understanding it; after the horrible brutal killings that the United Nations performed on July 6th ...and again as you said they killed children in the early hours today, how on earth can more than 5,000 people get out and demonstrate again? Obviously it's terrible repression, what is motivating people to risk their lives and take to the streets in those numbers, to continue demonstrating?

Honorat: Yes, that's a good question Kevin, and I think that the people in Haiti finally see that they don't have any choice but to fight. I would say that the three elections that the people tried to vote their leaders in, in 1987 the Macoutes backed up by the CIA and the old army they killed thousands of people, mainly in Port au Prince and so that we didn't have those elections. In 1990 the masses voted the President Jean Bertrand Aristide and after seven months, September 1991 and there was a coup d'etat. And again Aristide returned in 2000 where the people choose him again and in 2004, February 29th , the United States, France and Canada, they organized a kidnapping and they sent President Aristide away. The people say now, 'what's going on?' They [the MINUSTAH] want to kill them, and the elite, mainly the group, they call themselves, 184, backed by the United States and now by MINUSTAH, the United Nations, probably want to finish with the Haitian masses, so that's probably what motivates them so they will continue the fight until victory.

Pina: Thank you Georges, that was Georges Honorat who writes for Haiti-Progres, you can check his stuff out it comes out every Wednesday, published in New York in three languages, Creole French English. Georges thank you again for being on Flashpoints...

Honorat: Thank you Kevin.