Mr. Sawyer said there a was crowd of about 300, which gathered at a park near the Embassy, in Port-au-Prince Tuesday, in a district known as “Place Boyer” but did not demonstrate on the Embassy’s grounds. He said he learned that a smaller group went to the Embassy and banged on the door to get the attention of the people inside, but described the incident as “in no way an attack on the Embassy” or demonstration against the Bahamian people or Prime Minister Perry Christie who visited the Haitian capital on Sunday.
Mr. Andre Apaid, the leader of the anti-Aristide Civil Society organisation, a part of Group of 184, organised the demonstration, which started at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and lasted four and a half hours.
“I interviewed him and he said the reason they started the march in that area is because it’s a safe area and their supporters cannot be attacked from that area because of where it’s located,” Mr. Sawyer said.
“And he told me at the start of the parade that the police told them that they could not provide them with proper security, because there had been some death threats. And he said they really have to thank CARICOM because CARICOM told Aristide to allow the opposition to protest freely. And he also spoke very highly of Perry Christie today,” he said.
The news leader added that Mr. Christie made it very clear to Aristide on Sunday that opposition groups ought to be allowed to demonstrate freely in a democracy and without the fear of violence.
But in a new twist, Mr. Sawyer said he found out last night that the government had told the groups that they would be blocked from demonstrating in the city streets and contained in an area downtown. He described the restriction as a significant move on the government’s part and worth following up on.
When asked if the protest restriction was implemented by authorities to manage a crowd of 50,000 plus and to ensure the smooth flow of traffic, Mr. Sawyer said he believed the move was more of an oppressive one than to manage traffic.
He also said Mr. Valdez Ferguson from Cable 12 and other journalists joined him on the march, which at 9:30, was only a crowd of about 300 but had grown to about 50,000 by the afternoon.
“And I witnessed the start of the march… I was there. Now I did not see them banging on the gate (of the Embassy) but I understand they did bang on the gate but it was not an act of aggression from what I have been told,” he added.
“And I’ve never, ever seen so many people gathered. The enthusiasm never stopped. I can’t say what the Aristide support is like, but from what I have seen, there’s overwhelming support for the opposition,” he said.
He said the march was the most unified situation he had ever encountered and at no time did he ever feel afraid. He noted that the Haitian people were extremely welcoming and accommodating when they found out that he and his team were from The Bahamas.
The veteran journalist said “Group of 184,” now calling itself “Platform Democratique,” participated in a very peaceful march. It also involved students from the State University of Haiti.
Mr. Sawyer said the schools, which the opposition said were closed since December, re-opened this week. Last week both teachers and students participated in demonstrations.
The demonstration yesterday was in stark contrast to the ones held prior to Christie’s visit where police used tear gas to break up a student protest.
Last week, a Haitian newspaper reported that a passer-by was killed in Gonaives as police exchanged fire with the anti-Aristide Artibonite Revolutionary Resistance Front.
Dozens of people have been injured and 48 people have been killed in the conflict since September; up by 3 from two week ago.
The Island FM team will be returning to The Bahamas today.
Also today, CARICOM Assistant Secretary General Colin Granderson, who headed a fact-finding mission to Haiti earlier this month, will be travelling to the republic again to meet with Roman Catholic Bishops. CARICOM said a meeting with the Bishops is necessary to assist it in avoiding duplicating its proposals and those of the church.
The Prime Minister will be travelling to Kingston, Jamaica on Friday for more talks on Haiti. The meeting on Friday, to be hosted by Jamaican Patterson, will include president Aristide and other CARICOM heads: Prime Minister Manning and St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Kenny Anthony.
By Mindell Small, The Nassau Guardian
