One dead as protests in Haiti against the banking system and government turn violent
Violence broke out in Haiti’s capital and several other cities Wednesday as demonstrators took to the streets to protest against gang violence and the high cost of living, targeting the country’s banking system and Interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
At least one person died in Port-au-Prince, and Zenith FM reporter Youly Destine reported getting hit by a rubber bullet while live on the radio. At least two other people were also injured as police fired into the air to disperse crowds, according to a Miami Herald correspondent on the scene.
Unconfirmed reports of injuries were also reported in the city of Jérémie in the Grand’Anse department, where businesses were looted and bursts of automatic gunfire were reported as protesters clashed with police. Protests also occurred in the cities of St. Marc, Jacmel and Port-de-Paix, where at least three people were injured by gunshots.
In the city of Cap-Haïtien a journalist was also injured as police fired tear gas, bullets and water to disperse crowds.
Luly Menard, a culture journalist, was standing on his balcony in the historic northern city when a bullet grazed him, colleague Guyno Duverné told the Miami Herald..
“He is not doing too bad,” said Duverné, who accompanied Menard to the hospital. “He was treated and went home.”
Duverne said while the protest in Cap-Haïtien didn’t attract the thousands of protesters that other demonstrations have over the past two weeks, Wednesday’s protest was large enough to paralyze traffic until 6:30 p.m. As protesters made their way through the city, they threw rocks at money-transfer businesses and banks.
The same was true in Port-au-Prince as they marched past 11 banks were along the protest routes, and police were out to guard against looting. Protesters chanted “We are fed up. Ariel has to go,” as they blanketed the streets of the capital. They also said they were hungry and called for looting, leading police to fire shots in the air along with tear gas.
Some demonstrators flew the Russian flags, in protest of the U.S. and to request support from Russia. They also called for Henry’s resignation from office as they stopped in front of his official residence.
A police spokesman did not respond to the Herald’s request for comments about the demonstrations, and the injuries and death being reported.
Haitians have been taking to the streets in cities around the country in recent weeks to protest the high cost of living, the deterioration of the gourde currency against the U.S. dollar and a chronic fuel shortage.
The latest gathering was organized by the group Pitit Desalin. The organization’s leader, former senator and presidential candidate Moïse Jean-Charles, has threatened to close commercial banks if the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the deteriorating gourde is not less than 100 gourde.
The gourde has been rapidly depreciating, reducing Haitians’ buying power as the cost of food increase by more than 50% and in some cases 80%. Heavily dependent on dollars from its diaspora, Haitians only have access to dollars if they have bank accounts in U.S. dollars, otherwise wire transfers are issued in the local currency, which fluctuates on a daily basis and has been hovering above 100 gourdes per $1 U.S. dollar.
After leading demonstrations in Cap-Haïtien targeting the country’s commercial banks, Jean-Charles, once an ally of Henry’s, brought his demands to the capital.
Henry has so far not responded to the demonstrations. He flew to Miami Wednesday where, according to a tweet from his office, he will meet with investors looking for opportunities in Haiti.
Haiti is currently seeing a 30.5% inflation rate, and the economy remains fragile. Critics have accused Henry of not moving quickly enough to address the deteriorating economic and political situation. Efforts to reach a political agreement with a coalition of civil society groups have so far failed, and some Henry’s his own allies in an accord he championed have also left his coalition.
Henry’s supporters point out his political detractors, including some politicians, are seeking to take advantage of the situation given the government’s renewed efforts to crack down on illegal weapons, tax dodgers and contraband at its ports of entries. The government is also targeting the illegal sale of fuel on the streets as it struggles to meet the country’s needs. Earlier this week, residents in the northwestern city of Port-de-Paix blocked city streets with wooden furniture and burning tires to protest the government’s seizure of two vessels that were found to be carrying illegal guns and ammunition.
Also last week, Haitians used trucks to block the border crossing at Belladère in the Central Plateau , complaining that the government was charging too much on goods purchased in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Miami Herald Correspondent Johnny Fils-Aimé contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 7:46 PM.
