Video Evidence Reveals True Culprits
By Kevin Pina, journalist and documentary film producer.
(See also "Finding
the Necessary Pretext Incident" and "CIDA-funded
Propaganda about 'Black Friday'")
A video tape of events at the university clearly shows that Lavalas militants were outside the building when the transgressions occurred and that so-called "students" were in complete control of the facility when the Rector entered. The anti-Aristide "students" can be seen pummelling the police and press with large rocks. As the Rector enters with a police escort, the "students" chant "no police" several times from behind the large metal gate, at which time the Rector is heard asking the police to let him enter unescorted. This does not sound like a compound under siege from within, but rather a site under the complete control of those inside. As you hear the crashing sounds of computers in the facility, Lavalas popular organizations members comment on the tape, "Oh my god. They are going to blame us or the police after this is over."
The tape irrefutably shows that the only camera crew allowed to enter the facility was Andy Apaid’s Tele-Haiti, while the rock-throwing students kept the other media outside. In that case, how could it be that Lavalas militants were inside and in control of the university facility? One student who left the campus bloodied may hold the key:
"We were attacked by student members of the opposition for being pro-Aristide. After they broke the computers they…held a quick meeting. They had cell phones and talked with someone on the outside. Then they brought into the room the faculty member responsible for the computers and he talked for several minutes with someone on the cell phone …[and] he agreed with them."
As I watched the tape I could sense that the "facts" had been rehearsed. The "students" shamelessly forced tears as they left the facility blaming the evil Lavalas grassroots organizations for attacking them.
Editor’s Note:
The video evidence described in this article is shown in Pina’s documentary, "Haiti: The Betrayal of Democracy."
Source: "Haiti Under Siege," Black Commentator, January 15, 2004.
www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm? ItemID=4967
The above article is from Press for Conversion! magazine, Issue
#63 (November 2008)
"
Previous issues of this
Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade publication include:
#62 "Putting the
Aid in Aiding and Abetting:
CIDA's Agents of Regime Change in Haiti's 2004 Coup"