Condemn Martelly’s Fascist Raid on a Haitian University Campus, February 17, 2012 

NO MORE TONTON MACOUTE FASCISM IN HAITI!

HANDS OFF THE SCHOOL OF ETHNOLOGY! 

We the undersigned, students, professors, teachers, and other workers, condemn the brutal armed raid on the School of Ethnology campus of the State University of Haiti (UEH), carried out by the Haitian President Michel Martelly’s armed supporters, members of his security services, and pro-Martelly students, on Friday February 17. (See story at Haïti Liberté, www.haiti-liberte.com, 2/26/12.)

BACKGROUND: This attack on the campus tore down fences, smashed professors’ car windows, trashed the Department of Ethnology office, looted computers and printers and students’ personal property, and beat up students and campus workers, sending several to the hospital, while security forces fired automatic weapons into the air. Martelly has been demonizing the students at this campus since he came to power. They are leaders in fighting for a decent budget and necessities at UEH like courses, library books, a cafeteria, and a dormitory, as well as for radical social change.

Preceding the attack, Martelly himself (whose own political background is the far right and who has befriended Baby Doc Duvalier since his return to Haiti) led his following of street thugs armed with handguns, clubs, machetes and knives in an attempt to enter the campus. When he learned that the students would prevent him from coming in because of his hostility to UEH, he unleashed his armed band on them and they fought back with rocks, sending him running off with his personal guard.

Contrary to the lies in the press release from Martelly’s office—repeated by mass media—he was not attacked before his thugs invaded the campus.  The press release makes no mention of the damage and beatings his “Milis Woz” (Pink Militia) carried out, with the aid of some pro-Martelly students who have taken money from Martelly to build his support on campus.

Under Martelly there are systematic moves towards fascism of the Duvalier type. He has tried to revive an army staffed by rightist ex-officers, and stuffed his Administration’s security services with neo-Duvalierists  (“Martelly’s Macoutisation of the State,” Haiti Liberté Web site, 2/18/12). Behind Martelly stands the U.S. embassy, which intervened directly in the 2010-11 election to keep Martelly in the race. 

We join with Haitian students, faculty, and workers in condemning this raid, a local example of a growing international fascism aimed at cutting down popular resistance in this time of general economic crisis. We have seen U.S. students subject to police violence at Baruch College, CUNY, and University of California campuses, not to speak of crackdowns on student strikers in Chile, Spain, Québec, and elsewhere. We support Haitian students and workers who are defending themselves against fascist attacks and abuse, and fighting in terrible conditions for education, jobs, housing, health care—and above all, a new, just society.

Students & Workers in International Solidarity with the School of Ethnology, Haiti