As the Bush Cartel tramples on another democracy, thousands of Aristide
supporters pour into streets. Hurling slurs at U.S. Marines and calling
President Bush a "terrorist," a crowd estimated at more than 10,000
materialized in the capital...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=7&u=/nm/20040305/ts_nm/haiti_dc_166
Thousands of Aristide Supporters Pour Into Streets
March 5, 2004
by Ibon Villelabeitia & Jim Loney
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) -- Thousands of outraged supporters of
exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide poured out of Haiti's slums and into
the streets on Friday, marching on the U.S. Embassy to denounce the
"occupation" of their homeland and demand Aristide's return.
Hurling slurs at U.S. Marines and calling President Bush (news - web sites)
a "terrorist," a crowd estimated at more than 10,000 materialized in the
capital, seething with anger at Aristide's flight to Africa five days ago
after a bloody rebellion and U.S. pressure.
"Bush terrorist! Bush terrorist!," chanted the crowd, many of them waving
Haitian flags and wearing T-shirts bearing photos of Aristide, as they
passed a contingent of battle-equipped U.S. Marines guarding the embassy.
Hundreds held up their hands with five fingers extended, shouting "Aristide
five years," the rallying cry of his supporters who wanted him to finish his
five-year term in office. U.S. troops watched impassively from the rooftop.
The massive protest came as U.S. and French troops joined Haitian police on
patrol in the teeming capital. U.S. military vehicles mounted with machine
guns and missile launchers rumbled through the streets, sending a message to
rebels and Aristide militants to lay down their arms.
Supporters of Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest whose fiery oratory
from the pulpit helped galvanize a popular revolt that dislodged the
Duvalier family dictatorship in the 1980s, had been relatively quiet this
week, shocked by the ouster of Haiti's first freely elected president.
They had stayed largely in Cite Soleil, La Saline and the other slums of
Port-au-Prince as the armed rebels who helped push Aristide from office
roamed the streets, hunting for "chimeres," the most militant of Aristide's
supporters.
But as the rebels withdrew from the city following a pledge from their
leader, former police chief Guy Philippe, to lay down their arms, Aristide
partisans vowed to demonstrate daily for the return of their president.
"FOREIGN OCCUPATION"
They blamed Haiti's wealthy elite, Bush and French President Jacques Chirac
for what they called the "foreign occupation" of Haiti.
"The bourgeoisie joined with the international community to occupy Haiti and
get rid of President Aristide," one demonstrator screamed. "The bourgeoisie
never did anything for us, the masses. Now they took away our president."
"If Aristide doesn't come back, life will be hell here."
Five days after Aristide was ousted by a bloody rebellion, a new tripartite
council made up of people chosen by the government, Aristide's political
foes and foreign nations went to work.
Aristide's Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, Leslie Voltaire, was named by
the government. The political opposition Democratic Platform picked Paul
Denis, a former senator, and the international community chose Adama Guindo,
the United Nations (news - web sites) resident coordinator.
The council will select a seven member "Council of Wise Men" within a week
to pick a new prime minister and begin the process of establishing a new
government.
Haiti's legislature has been largely defunct since early January. Only a few
senators have time left in their terms.
Haitian and foreign officials have been struggling with the process of
installing interim president Boniface Alexandre, who according to the
constitution must be ratified by the legislature. It was still uncertain on
Friday when a formal swearing in would be held at the palace.
U.S., French, Chilean and Canadian troops in Haiti numbered about 2,000,
according to the commanders of the multinational force approved by the
United Nations to restore order after days of looting and shooting following
Aristide's flight into exile in the Central African Republic on Sunday.
More than 100 people died in the armed revolt that began on Feb. 5 when an
anti-Aristide gang took over the northwestern city of Gonaives.
Aristide said from his African exile that he was kidnapped. The U.S.
government has denied the allegation but residents of Aristide strongholds
believe it.
In the pro-Aristide Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Bellair, where glass and
debris litters the streets and the stench of sewage hangs in the air,
residents said foreign troops should help protect them from gunmen that raid
the area nightly.
They say rebels have been conducting reprisal raids.
"At 6 p.m. we all have to go and find a hole to hide," said Hubert Louis,
31, referring to the nightly curfew. "If the foreign troops want to show
they want to support the people, they should protect us from the soldiers
who are chasing us." (Additional reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva)
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