Jimmy “Barbeque” Chérizier’s forces have laid siege to Haiti’s main international airport, traded fire with troops at government sites and sparked a mass jailbreak.
Jimmy Chérizier, the former Haitian police officer-turned-gangster leading the latest violent campaign to seize control of the country, is nicknamed “Barbeque.”
Chérizier insists it’s because his mother operated a fried chicken stand in the slums of Port-au-Prince.
But critics say it’s a moniker Chérizier earned after staging multiple massacres in the nation’s capital from 2018 to 2020 that, according to the United Nations, left dozens of people dead, many of whom were burned alive when their homes were deliberately torched.
Given the history of outside influences on Haiti, I’m not sure how much of this story I buy.
Could be “violent gangs” torching “civil society” for “their own benefit”.
Could be “revolutionaries” torching “an oppressive oligarchy” for “the benefit of working people”.
Both of them would be reported the same way in US, or European newspapers.
I’m just skeptical when I see “violent gangs” taking over public infrastructure and when one of the “first casualties” of a “bloody uprising” is the Prime Minister who is not in fact dead, just forced to resign and flee the country.
The reality is probably somewhere in the middle, but given the level of violence used, I’m leaning toward the “violent gang” and “for their own benefit” end of the scale.
Not to mention, when a guy nicknamed “barbecue” wears a patch saying “barbarians”, it does not suggest he is interested in the rule of law and due process.
I don’t mean to overthrow the conversation, as if it was 2003… but… here’s a video essay where Haiti is compared to the Dominican republic… as well as some historical and economic context… I’m in no way versed in this, nor have I done any cursory research, but I thought this video was well put together and it confirms what I’ve heard from others - plus more.
Spoilers: >! apparently they are still debt slaves to France, who brutally colonized Haiti - y’know, the usj. Citibank also goes where evil deeds are done, with help from Uncle Sam.!<
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
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I’m not sure how quickly I’ll be able to get through this, but thanks for the link, this is really interesting.
Tbh if he is a gang leader trying to rule the country in order to sell crack, i still support him against imperialism. After he kicks foreings out, then we see what about him
I thought he said that he wasn’t interested in running for president, just that he and other gangs wanted representation in parliament. Which is a bit cuckoo, but not the same thing. Right now, they are demanding new elections.
