[News] Support the Return of Aristide to Haiti - Rally Today 4:30p UN Plaza, SF

Fri Mar 18 10:38:20 EDT 2011

Dear Bay Area Friends of Haiti -

We urge you to join Haiti Action Committee for an 
emergency rally tomorrow afternoon to support the 
historic return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide to 
Haiti. As many know, President Aristide and his 
family departed South Africa for Haiti today, to 
banner headlines that read "Jean-Bertrand 
Aristide defies US by heading back to Haiti."

While this marks a great occasion, still the next 
24 hours is critical as the US relentlessly 
pursues efforts to block the return of Haiti's 
most popular leader. Dozens of prominent lawyers 
and law professors sent a 
<http://ijdh.org/archives/17766>statement today 
to Cheryl Mills, US Dept of State Chief of Staff, 
criticizing US government interference with 
Aristide's constitutional and human right to 
return from forced exile. There are rallies 
planned across the country in NY, Florida, and 
the Bay Area to coincide with the anticipated 
popular celebrations that will - if all goes well 
- be held tomorrow in Haiti upon the arrival of 
President Aristide and his family.

We hope you will join us Friday, March 18th at 
4:30PM at UN Plaza in San Francisco, Hyde at 
Fulton. Meanwhile follow the journey as 
<http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/3/17/live_blog_amy_goodman_reports_on_jean_bertrand_aristides_historic_return_to_haiti>Amy 
Goodman blogs from the plane that is bringing 
President Aristide and his family back to Haiti. 
Continue to demand the US annul Haiti's phony 
elections slated to be held this Sunday, March 
20th - 
between<http://www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?id=503> 
two right wing Duvalierist candidates who 
together won 10% [6% and 4% respectively] of the 
vote in widely discredited November elections.

In solidarity,

Haiti Action Committee
<http://www.haitisolidarity.net>www.haitisolidarity.net and on FACEBOOK

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Marilyn Langlois, Haiti Action Committee 
spokesperson – <tel:510-932-1942>510-932-1942

Walter Riley, Haiti Emergency Relief Fund – <tel:510-451-1422>510-451-1422
Haiti Action Committee Voice Mail – <tel:510-483-7481>510-483-7481
<mailto:action.haiti at gmail.com>action.haiti at gmail.com

The Return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to Haiti

Press Conference and Emergency Rally

Friday, March 18

4:30 PM

United Nations Plaza, Hyde at Fulton, San Francisco

Haiti Action Committee welcomes and celebrates 
the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to 
his homeland, after almost 7 years of forced 
exile in South Africa, following a coup against 
his government on Feb. 29, 2004, orchestrated by 
Haitian elites, France, Canada, and the United 
States. “The return of Aristide is a tribute to 
the love the Haitian people have for the 
president they elected twice with overwhelming 
majorities, and their persistent demand for his 
return, in spite of adamant opposition from the 
coup supporters, and a continuing United Nations 
occupation force of almost 12,000 personnel,” 
said committee member Ayana Labossiere.

We condemn the threatening language of the State 
Department, and its ongoing and blatant efforts 
to disrupt true democracy in Haiti. On March 14, 
U.S. State Department spokesperson, Mark Toner 
said, “We would urge former President Aristide to 
delay his return until after the electoral 
process has concluded, to permit the Haitian 
people to cast their ballots in a peaceful 
atmosphere. A return prior to the election may 
potentially be destabilizing to the political process.”

These 
<http://sfbayview.com/2011/haiti-annul-the-elections/>so-called 
“elections” excluded the participation of Haiti’s 
largest party, President Aristide’s Fanmi 
Lavalas, in the first place, and have forced a 
fraudulent “run-off” on Sunday, March 20, with 
two supporters of former dictator Jean-Claude 
Duvalier, completely rejected by most Haitians. 
It is the United States that, since President 
Aristide was first elected in 1990, has refused 
to send funds directly to the Aristide 
government, blocked it from receiving signed 
international loans, economically destabilized 
it, and orchestrated his overthrow twice in 1991 
and 2004 coups. Washington has also prevented the 
Fanmi Lavalas Party from participating in post-2004 coup elections.

If allowed to do so in peace, the Haitian people 
are perfectly capable of governing themselves 
wisely and democratically. They love President 
Aristide because his governments built more 
schools in their few short years in power than 
had been built previously in Haiti’s entire 
history, built clinics and a medical school, 
built parks in neighborhoods with no open space, 
raised the minimum wage, and tried to get the 
wealthy to pay taxes, making powerful enemies in the process.

We want people to understand that the enthusiasm 
with which President Aristide will be welcomed in 
Haiti reflects not only the affection of Haitians 
for this individual and respect for the office to 
which he was elected, but also their cry for a 
legitimate democratic process. This means 
recognition of their favored political party, 
non-interference by foreign elements in Haiti's 
internal affairs, and a respect for the political 
and structural changes brought about during 
President Aristide’s administrations.

Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
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