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"It was an act of bravery because these people stood up to the gangs that terrorized them. To all those who were killed, we tell them to go in peace, but that the battle continues, because we are determined to confront (Haitian Prime Minister) Ariel Henry and his bloodthirsty men," Célestin declared.
On Sunday, the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, hosted a vigil in tribute to the hundreds of fatal victims of gang violence that have mourned the country, such as the massacre in the Canaan neighborhood, north of this capital, when citizens tried to evict an armed group that ended up massacring dozens of people.
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"We have gathered to pay a well-deserved homage to all those killed in the massacres of Carrefour-Feuilles Rosemberg, Tabarre and Martissant, without forgetting those killed in the Canaan massacre," said Professor Patrice Célestin, secretary general of the group known as Résistance pour Haïti.
The event occurred last August 26 when the faithful of the Piscine de Bethesda evangelical church decided to forcibly evict the Canaan gang from their stronghold. The heavily armed criminal group reacted, and the parishioners were massacred, wounded, burned alive and even kidnapped by the criminals.
"It was an act of bravery because these people stood up to the gangs that terrorized them. To all those who were killed we tell them to go in peace, but that the battle continues, because we are determined to confront (Haitian Prime Minister) Ariel Henry and his bloodthirsty men," Célestin declared.
Alarming reports from #Haiti where escalating violence killed and injured over 70 people in Port au Prince in the last two weeks.
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) August 31, 2023
So far this year, more than 2,500 people have been killed and almost 1,000 have been injured.
This carnage needs to stop.
https://t.co/lDRhJr0kBH
Beyond the suspension from the church of Pastor Marcorel Zidor, alias Marco, who called for confronting the armed bandits, there has been no major breakthrough in the case since Haitian police forces announced the opening of an investigation. Pastor Marco has been invited to appear in court, but has declined to do so.
Without exculpating the religious minister, Célestin believes that the real culprits are the authorities for not providing sufficient security for the villagers. "We have a state that has failed in its mission. A servile and moribund State. A state that chooses to massacre its own people to allow foreigners to come and sully the soil," he said.
The NGO Fondasyon Je Klere condemned the increased calls for violence by villagers seeking to replace law enforcement in the face of their usual indifference, amid the deteriorating security situation.
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