By Danica Coto
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
(AP) — Stones flew and barricades
burned in parts of Haiti’s
capital on Monday as the country
entered its fourth week of
anti-government protests that
have paralyzed the economy
and shuttered schools.
Opposition supporters gathered
in areas including the
front of the National Palace to
demand the resignation of President
Jovenel Moise as tear gas
wafted through some neighborhoods.
Dozens of protesters
banged rocks on metal posts as
others cried out, “Thief!”
James Jozil, a 26-year-old
mechanic, yelled at heavily
armed police officers who are
part of Moise’s security detail
and were briefly stationed in
front of the palace.
“Jovenel Moise has to go
because people can’t go to
school, people are hungry,” he
said.
Observing the gathering
crowd in downtown Port-au-
Prince was Gesner Denis, a
47-year-old social studies teacher
who said the country’s situation
had become unacceptable
and that the government was
incapable of governing.
“I’m thinking of my people,”
he said. “Where is this country
going?”
Denis’ three children are
among the two million students
who have been unable
to attend school for nearly a
month. He said his oldest child
is already in college.
“His future is a question
mark,” he said.
The normally congested
streets of Port-au-Prince were
empty of traffic just days after
thousands of Haitians marched
in front of the United Nations’
headquarters in one of the largest
demonstrations in weeks.
The protests have been fueled
by anger over corruption, rising
inflation and the dwindling
of basic supplies including food
and gasoline.
At least 17 people have been
killed in the ongoing demonstrations
and another nearly
200 injured, including the son
of Dominique Grillon, whose
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son was hospitalized after
being hit by a car as he set up
barricade last week.
“There will never be any
change in Haiti,” Grillon said,
adding that protests occurred
in the past and that they don’t
necessarily lead to better
things.
The U.N.’s Mission for Justice
Support in Haiti said it was
deeply concerned about what
it called a protracted political
crisis. It urged the government
to ensure the normal functioning
of schools, hospitals and
emergency services and allow
aid to reach the most vulnerable
people.
“The mission stands ready
to support peaceful solutions,
which only Haitian actors can
devise, to resolve the current
situation and alleviate the suffering
of the population, in
accordance with democratic
standards and human rights
principles,” it said Sunday.
Many protesters are demanding
a more in-depth investigation
into corruption after Haiti’s
senate found that at least
Anti-government protesters march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti,
Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. . Associated Press / Rebecca Blackwell
14 former government officials
under the administration of
former President Michel Martelly
— an ally of Moise — allegedly
misused huge sums linked
to a Venezuelan-subsidized oil
program. The senate’s investigation
also named a company
once owned by Moise, who has
denied corruption allegations.
A government spokesman
said the Organization of American
States has granted Moise’s
administration $17 million to
strengthen anti-corruption
institutions in Haiti.
Barricades burn as Haiti enters
4th week of deadly protests
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