We must kill the BANDITS: an impressive documentary about UN actions in Haiti

CSMS Magazine Staff WritersJournalist, Kevin Pina, takes his Haiti documentary to London, Ontario this weekend after touring Detroit and other parts of the Midwest. This documentary, which captures Cité Soleil reality and post-coup atrocities, exposes the disinformation campaign “that covered up one of the greatest human rights travesties in the history of Latin America and the Caribbbean,” says several media outlets in the Midwest.               The acclaimed documentary features a hip-hop title track with the lyrics and beats of rapper Ali Aumeer and singer Sara Marlowe. The documentary puts in display the shocking trajectory of several U.S. interventions throughout the history of Haiti, brutally suppressing the disenfranchised masses while labeling them “bandits” in order to justify its actions.            We must kill the BANDITS brings right into the open the disinformation campaign “that covered up one of the greatest human rights travesties in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean. Thousands of Haitians were killed, jailed and forced into exile after the February 29, 2004 ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide,” says Pena.            The documentary calls into question the credibility of some Haitian human rights organizations as it became clear that they were “far from being impartial and actually participated in creating a witch hunt climate of persecution against Aristide supporters.” The documentary zeroes in the National Coalition for Haitian Rights or NCHR, as family members working with political prisoner organizations in Haiti routinely mention its name in the film.             According to family members of the victims, NCHR is greatly responsible for creating an atmosphere of hatred through a disinformation campaign that paved the way for the political persecution of thousands of presumed “Aristide supporters and their imprisonment without trial.”            In CSMS Magazine, we have always questioned the legitimacy of NCHR, as it has been for some time the primary source for human rights information on the ground in Haiti for organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch after Feb. 29, 2004.            Taking over from US Marines who occupied Haiti after they bundled Aristide out of the country, a UN occupation has been there ever since. We, in CSMS Magazine, have always reminded our readers about the fact that Haiti is not a liberated country, free to pursue its destiny without the interference of outsiders.            It is hard to imagine a UN force operated under the command of Brazilian, Argentine and Chilean forces notoriously famous for carrying out some of the most horrible crimes in the history of brutal repression could be part of any stabilizing force anywhere in the world.             The documentary exposes UN forces in their numerous massacres committed against residents in poor neighborhoods like Cite Soleil and Bel Air. Many, who question the UN presence in the country and acted against it, were simply accused of being Aristide supporters. They were hunted down and killed.The documentary also brings to light raw video evidence of UN forces in action, as it portrays gruesome images of the carnage and interviews with survivors, following a UN raid in Cite Soleil on July 6, 2005. Scenes like these help to unmask the United Nations role as a peacekeeping force in Haiti.            As Haitian president, René Préval, was visiting his political masters in Washington, Haiti: We Must Kill the Bandits is on a mission to expose the leprechauns in their Machiavellian quest to forever enslave the Haitian masses.            The tour was launched in Detroit with a community event sponsored by MECAWI, the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice. Several college and community events are also planned in Ontario, Canada, where Pina will be joined by former Haitian legislator Jean Candio.            Candio was arrested and held for three weeks by Canadian authorities last December who initially claimed he was a member of a terrorist organization and a threat to public security. “I am pleased that Jean Candio will finally get a chance to speak directly to the Canadian public about his false incarceration.” stated Pina. Events featuring Mr. Candio will be held at King’s University College in London,ON and at the University of Windsor,ON.            The presentation at Windsor follows the first day of registration for a three-day Media and Propaganda Conference, featuring the work of Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman, also held on the University of Windsor campus. Pina is scheduled to provide a Haiti workshop under the title “Guerilla Tactics for Challenging the Corporate Media.”             Following this weekend in Canada, Pina will take the documentary to the Pacific Northwest with several dates scheduled in Seattle, Portland and Olympia. The final leg of the tour travels to NY and Washington DC in early June. The next leg will begin in July.Below is the itinerary to see Kevin Pina and his documentary:Detroit MI – Saturday May 12 – 6:00 pm5922 Second Avenue, Near WSU Campus For More Info: (313) 680-5508; e-mail: [email protected] URL: http://www.mecawi.orgLondon ON – Sunday May 13 – 7:00 pmKing’s University College 266 Epworth Ave. London in Room 100, Labatt HallWindsor ON – Tuesday May 15 – 9:00 pmUniversity of Windsor 401 Sunset Avenue in the Moot Court (Law building at the corner of University Ave. and Sunset Ave.) Special guest: former Lavalas Legislator Jean CandioSeattle WA – Sunday May 20 – 12:00 PM (noon)Bethany UCC Church 6230 Beacon Avenue SouthOlympia WA – Sunday May 20 – 7:30 pmCapital Theater 206 E. 5th Ave.Olympia WA – Monday May 21 – 2:00 pmSouth Sound Community College 2011 Mottman Rd SWPortland OR – Wednesday May 23 – 7:00 pmLiberty Hall 311 N Ivy StreetOlympia WA – Thursday May 24 – 11:30 amEvergreen State College 2700 Evergreen Parkway NWPortland OR – Thursday May 24Clinton Theater 2522 SE Clinton StreetNew York/Manhattan – Friday June 1Millennium Theater 66th E. 4th StreetFor more info: http://www.fanmilavalasny.com908-472-5362/6464-236-6861 co-sponsored by: GREFPOM Fanmi Lavalas HaitiBrooklyn, NY – Saturday June 2Erasmus High School 911 Flatbush Ave. For more info: http://www.fanmilavalasny.com908-472-5362/6464-236-6861 co-sponsored by: GREFPOM Fanmi Lavalas HaitiWash. DC – Tuesday June 5Festival Center 1640 Columbia Road NW (close to Green Line, Columbia Heights metro stop. Also, 5-2 or 5-4 metrobuses along 16th Street to Columbia Road)For more info, call 202-277-8252Also see Rene Preval to meet George Bush at the White House