By MARTY GOODMAN Weeks of massive protests against election fraud in Haiti and calling for the ouster of the pro-U.S. Haitian President Michel Martelly forced the dictator to finally step down on Feb. 7. The Haitian constitution prohibits a succeeding five-year term, and Feb. 7 was the date for his term to end. Feb. 7, … Continue reading Haiti’s dictator resigns as election trap set
Category: Caribbean
Venezuela must learn from Indonesia
By BARRY WEISLEDER The 50th anniversary of one of the biggest political massacres of the 20th century passed in the West almost without notice. In 1965, a military coup in Indonesia, backed by the United States, unleashed a slaughter that consumed over one million lives. The aim of the insurgent generals was annihilation of the … Continue reading Venezuela must learn from Indonesia
Pro-U.S. dictator steals Haitian election
By MARTY GOODMAN Enraged Haitians took to the streets in the thousands in the wake of the rigged Oct. 25 elections in Haiti. Protests took place throughout November in Port au Prince in support of the candidates, but were sometimes met with right-wingers armed with machetes, clubs, hammers, and guns, as cops looked on. One … Continue reading Pro-U.S. dictator steals Haitian election
Dominican gov’t expels Haitians
By MARTY GOODMAN In a clear attempt at ethnic cleansing, hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent have been rendered stateless under Dominican law. A series of racist court rulings on immigration in 2004, 2010, and 2013 paved the way for a dragnet based on race that might result in mass expulsions. A 2013 … Continue reading Dominican gov’t expels Haitians
Racist attacks in Dominican Republic
By MARTY GOODMAN There has been a new wave of racist attacks on Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent inside the Dominican Republic (DR). The latest was the racist expulsion of 300 Haitians and Haitians of Dominican origin in the Ortega community in Moca. All Haitians in Moca were blamed for the April 8 death … Continue reading Racist attacks in Dominican Republic
U.S. setback at Panama Summit
By CLAUDIO KATZ Mainstream media presented the Panama Summit as if it were the beginning of a new era of cooperation. They pondered the end of the Cold War and painted Obama as a model of detente, as opposed to the hawkishness of Maduro. They also contrasted the reintegration of Cuba in the region to … Continue reading U.S. setback at Panama Summit
The Cuban Five are free!
By JEFF MACKLER In simultaneous press conferences in Washington, D.C., and Havana on Wednesday, Dec. 17, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced an agreement that included the immediate release of the three remaining Cuban political prisoners held in U.S. jails since 1998—Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, and Antonio Guerrero. Two other Cubans, Fernando … Continue reading The Cuban Five are free!
Cuba expands women’s reproductive rights
By ANN MONTAGUE Abortion has been legal in Cuba since the victory of the Cuban revolution in 1959 and was codified into law as a women’s “sovereign right” in 1968. Vilma Espin, a feminist and revolutionary fighter, was made the head of the new Federation of Cuban Women and later created the National Center For … Continue reading Cuba expands women’s reproductive rights
NY award gala mocks Haitian misery
By MARTY GOODMAN On June 19, a quickly called protest was organized against a glitzy award gala in Manhattan that featured a “Leadership in Education” award for the corrupt and repressive Haitian president, Michel “Sweet Mickey” Martelly. On the same program, a “Lifetime Achievement Award” went to Martelly’s political patron, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, … Continue reading NY award gala mocks Haitian misery
U.S. creates secret ‘Cuban Twitter’ plan
By JEFF MACKLER A startling but perhaps, in these repressive times, routine April 3 Associated Press (AP) story entitled, “U.S. secretly created ‘Cuban Twitter’ to stir unrest” was based on 1000 pages of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) documents obtained by AP. To date AP has not revealed how it obtained these documents. … Continue reading U.S. creates secret ‘Cuban Twitter’ plan
Book review: ‘Coolie Woman’
By CHRISTINE MARIE March 8 was declared International Women’s Day by the Socialist International in 1910. On this day, we can gain inspiration for the battles ahead through a look at the dramatic entrance of working women into history. Socialists traditionally discuss the magnificent strike of 20,000 shirtwaist workers in New York City that was … Continue reading Book review: ‘Coolie Woman’
U.S. hands off Venezuela!
By ERNIE GOTTA As rebellions spread across the globe in response to the harsh realities of neo-liberal austerity, it is important to examine each uprising closely. We need to understand the reasons people mobilize in the streets. We can’t lend support to every protest movement because they are not all progressive, democratic, or fighting for … Continue reading U.S. hands off Venezuela!
Haitian workers battle starvation wage
By MARTY GOODMAN It seems like a nightmare. Haiti’s 30,000 assembly workers, working mostly in textiles, will actually face a wage cut as part of a new $5.23 a day minimum wage (225 Haitian gourdes), which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. That’s far short of the $11.63 a day (500 Haitian gourdes) demanded … Continue reading Haitian workers battle starvation wage
Grenada: Big revolution in a small country
BY JEFF MACKLER Thirty years ago, on Oct. 25, 1983, almost 8000 U.S. Rangers invaded the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada to make doubly sure that the revolution of March 13, 1979, four and a half years earlier, would not rise again. This vital and exemplary revolution in a Black, English-speaking country of 100,000 nevertheless … Continue reading Grenada: Big revolution in a small country
Racist court ruling hits Haitian workers
By TONY SAVINO — SANTO DOMINGO — A Dominican high court ruling on Sept. 27 denies citizenship to anyone born to parents “in transit” after 1929, thus affecting not only the children of migrants, but their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is the latest attack by the racist, xenophobic sector of the ruling elite that includes … Continue reading Racist court ruling hits Haitian workers
U.S. occupation of Haiti exposed
By MARTY GOODMAN Chelsea (Bradley) Manning and Edward Snowden have become contemporary folk heroes—like Daniel Ellsberg, after his outing of the U.S. role in Vietnam in the 1960s. These heroes exposed the lies, hypocrisy, and brutality of U.S. policy. Although less well known today, Capt. Lawrence Rockwood of U.S. Army counter-intelligence challenged the U.S. policy … Continue reading U.S. occupation of Haiti exposed
The Hell that is Haiti
By MARTY GOODMAN PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti—Oct. 22 was a romantic rendezvous for Bill and Hillary Clinton in Haiti, their one-time honeymoon destination. Hollywood celebs were there too—Sean Penn, Ben Stiller and sweatshop magnate Donna Karan, along with members of the Haitian elite, led by President Michael Martelly, a Washington-backed military coup supporter. “Haiti is … Continue reading The Hell that is Haiti
Jamaicans seek change, elect opposition PNP
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica—Car horns blared, orange flags waved, and campaign reggae jingles pulsated. Youthful political celebrants blew vuvuzelas from roving car caravans on the evening of Dec. 29, continuing well past sunrise across this Caribbean island nation.A snap election called by the governing Jamaica Labour Party catapulted the opposition People's National Party into government after … Continue reading Jamaicans seek change, elect opposition PNP
WikiLeaks lifts lid on U.S. role in Haiti
Documents released by WikiLeaks to the left-of-center Haitian weekly Haiti Liberté, in partnership with The Nation magazine, unveils a cozy U.S. relationship with Haiti’s reactionary, corrupt elite. They also offer insight into the bipartisan U.S./UN occupation mislabeled a “humanitarian intervention.” The revelations show that U.S. policy has changed little since the founding of the world’s … Continue reading WikiLeaks lifts lid on U.S. role in Haiti
Anniversary of Haiti earthquake
The Jan. 12th Haiti Committee, a coalition of progressive Haitian organizations and their supporters, will be holding a press conference at the Haitian Consulate at 271 Madison Ave., New York, on Jan. 12, at 1 p.m. This will mark the anniversary of the devastating earthquake.The committee demands: Occupation Troops Out of Haiti Now! Release All … Continue reading Anniversary of Haiti earthquake
Harlem Rally for Haiti
by Marty Goodman NEW YORK—On Nov. 20, some 50 protesters gathered in solidarity with Haiti across the street from former President Bill Clinton’s penthouse office on 125th St. in Harlem. Demonstrators chanted, “U.S. out of Haiti! Clinton out of Harlem!” Clinton was appointed United Nations envoy to Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake, which killed … Continue reading Harlem Rally for Haiti
Mumia Abu-Jamal on Haiti
Statement on Haiti
Tony Savino, our comrade who is in Cuba now with a photo exhibit on vodou in Haiti, issued the statement below to the Cuban National Press regarding the situation in Haiti.(For description of and photos from his exhibit in the Cuban press, see:http://www.cubadebate.cu/fotorreportajes/2010/01/09/presentan-en-santiago-de-cuba-exposici on-fotografica-dedicada-a-culto-haitiano/Tony's statement to the Cuban National Press re Haiti:My heart goes out … Continue reading Statement on Haiti
Scandal on Haiti Minimum Wage
by Marty GoodmanSome news on proposals for a minimum wage increase in Haiti. Rene Preval is elected President of Haiti. Preval was second in command to Jean-Bertrand Aristide before his exile at the hands of U.S. backed thugs. Below is part of an email I just received from a Haitian activist friend: President Rene Preval, … Continue reading Scandal on Haiti Minimum Wage
Imperialist Occupation of Haiti Wields Deadly Force as Opposition Grows
by Roger Annis / September 2005 issue of Socialist Action Eighteen months after an imperialist invasion that served the overthrow of the elected government of Haiti, a ferocious repression continues to rain down on the people of that country. The three invading countries—the United States, France, and Canada—appointed an illegal coup regime and have armed … Continue reading Imperialist Occupation of Haiti Wields Deadly Force as Opposition Grows