Aristide Violence

Here are some of the statements made during a speech given by former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide on September 27, 1991. Do you think that the speech promotes violence and the use of Pè Lebrun by the Haitian population?

Aristide was without equal when it comes to popularity among the people. He won the nation's first democratic election in December 1990 with 67% votes. However, he was caught between plots by the Duvalierists with country's wealthy elites. On Friday, September 27 1991, he delivered a speech, activating the common people against the wealthy elites and power mongers of the country. This speech is famously known as "Aristide's Famous Pe Lebrun Speech" and as a consequence, on September 29, 1991, Aristide was overthrown, just two days after delivering the speech. In every protest in Haiti, the protesters often burn tires. Pere Lebrun was the name of a former tire manufacturer and a major retailer of automobile tires in Haiti. 'Pe leburn' is a nickname of burning tires. In his eight months in president's office, Aristide alienated many civil servants, attempted to undermine the country's military forces and challenged the authority responsible to draft the constitution. He publicly distinguished the elites between patriotic elite and the 'patripoch' (pocket-stuffing) elite.

Aristide's supporters, following the historic speech on September 27, intimidated the news media that Aristide would legitimize his speech. He would place burning tires around the necks of the suspected opponents and burn them to death. However, very few historians have had the opportunity to hear and understand this historic speech live on September 27th which is often considered as his best speech delivered so far. It is a fact that there is no proof anywhere that suggests Aristide's policy was to urge people to burn people. Rather, when he came to power in 1991, unlike his predecessors, he tried to bring more issues and people under the rule of law. There are many Haitians who think that Aristide was unfairly treated. He was demonized by wealthy Haitians who own 90% of Haiti's wealth and act as overseers for empire. Aristide denounced the evil schemes of these imperialists and their agents in the Haitian oligarchy.

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The good work of the slain Father Jean Marie Vincent, assassinated by a flood of bullets in August of 1994, knows no bounds. As such, it was famously lamented by Claudette Werleigh, a colleague of Vincent's at the Catholic Relief Services, that not just one man had been killed by his murder. Father Vincent helped build Haiti by raising money and providing assistance for grass-roots groups. He aided farmers in finding overseas markets for their crops, did work with the poor and simply gave of himself plainly, often endangering his life for the rights of others.

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The St Jean Bosco massacre was one of the worst cases of abuse following the exile of the government of Jean Claude Duvalier to France. The Massacre took place on 11 September 1988. It was reported that more than 13 people were murdered and over 80 people wounded. The Saint-Jean Bosco church in Port-au-Prince was the parish of father Jean-Bertrand Aristide who would become the president of Haiti.

On that day, the Saint-Jean Bosco church had over 1000 people for Sunday mass. Report had indicated that the massacre was carried out by unidentified armed men. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was evacuated from the church unharmed.

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