Francis Chartrand for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

The most cunning of racial attacks, one you probably never see.

Well, my comment now.

Saturday evening July 3, me and my wife went to see the fireworks at La Ronde in Montreal. We were at Bellerive Park, along the St. Lawrence River, and the performance was given by Portugal, a 45-minute fireworks show. The crowd was large as 300 000 people at the Park, 200 000 on the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

On the way back we walk on St. Catherine, for at Papineau and Beaudry metro stations, there is an hour wait to enter the subway too many people, of course. So we thought that would do better to join the Berri UQAM station.

In return, Tania I expressed it a craving. She hesitates between the Pizza Pizza, corner St. Catherine and St. Timothy and St. Hubert restaurant, corner St. Catherine and Amherst. We want to sit comfortably, we opt for the second option. We ordered a "hot chicken" each, plus a line of wine. A very good Chardonnay from Argentina, which I do not remember the name unfortunately. Everything is going well so far, and we pay our bill to 23: 45.

Later, she seeks a McDonald's, we later found corner St. Catherine and St. Christopher, to buy a McFlurry, you know, the blizzard at Dairy Queen. It is used by a ... how should we say? A girl, color, black. She served in what can probably deduct the fifth containing the normal, saying that it is the normal serving, plus she said she has stirred.

Me, I almost never go at McDonald's, too busy to go get something to eat at Harvey's restaurant, the Dairy Queen, restaurant 25th at St. Eustache or the concession stand of Deux-Montagnes, but hey, I did not know not even know what was a McFlurry. So I do not know how to treat her: dirty fucker, cursed woman, fucking thief full of shit, fucking bitch, fucking dirty immigrant, not there I'd be racist.

In this McDonald's, there were many blacks and gays, so I had to shut the fuck up, because you know, I go often to the barricades, when I do not jump it. I preferred whining two blocks away, once we would leave the Gay Village, because I do not know what to say in the restaurant. I imagined, these African-Americans turn into cannibals and these gays turn into cannibals gays, just across from the Circus After Hour, making us spit in the ass, Tania and I, we crunching an apple the mouth, singing "Hakuna Matata" and trampling the flag of Quebec.

I do not even silly. That's what happens when you see hordes of wild African Americans, when we know that now, street gangs from the east of Montreal practice voodoo rituals in addition of deviants of religion of origin, which on behalf of their sexual orientation, practice neo-paganism. When I think of all those hordes of Haitians who fled Papa Doc and Baby Doc and have integrated less than 5 years ...

But hey, times change and people too. Therefore, the next day I decided to contact McDonald to get information or to make clarifications on the nature of this incident, willing or unwilling, or lack of productivity to my girlfriend.

I call in late morning. And I speak to the manager of the service in question, explaining that when I was in a restaurant, a girl asked a McFlurry, and the waitress at the counter serves in what can probably deduct the fifth containing the normal saying that it is the normal serving, plus she said she has shaken.

He answers the most amazing thing ever heard at McDonald:

- Ah yes, the damn fucking white trash girl, wah, wah, wah, she made shit and she wanted more, too bad the girl was frustrated. In addition, she made a delay made all the customers.

I replied:

- Because, you see, the damn fucking white trash girl in matter is my wife, fucking tabarnac! To treat my wife as 'white', you're what color?

- Haiti, why?

- Because you've just been busted in the act of racism, anti-white racism but racism is the same. In addition, according to you, there are two races, two colors of people, in Montreal, Quebec and Haiti? To say that I gaved to your country after the earthquake, that I marched against the coup against Jean-Bertrand Aristide, say that I walked for the family of Marcellus François. Don't call me a racist.

- I don't give a fuck, man, it don't prevent you to be a race full of shit, you're never happy, you always want more, more, and more. And you want us to integrate into your culture, when you're unable to see that you live in North America? Fuck you, goddamn Quebec!

- I never said that, I'm talking a proper service with an adequate amount, I will not talk about your roots, you have been racist against my wife.

- Go get it in Laval, your proper service with an adequate amount. You seem shit for me. And you think Canadians and Alouettes are sports, man. Fuck you, man, I am anxious that you go fuck yourself in reserves that we can sterile yourself. You Quebecers will be the only people exterminated in self defense.

- That's the respect you give to your home land?

- I don't give a shit of my home land, I don't give a fuck of borders, "No one is illegal" you know? It does not exist illegal immigrants. Fuck borders. And people who do not deserve to live, I'll kill them!

- Hmmmr hmmmr!

Then comes a moment of silence after I coughed a bit to calm him, and I quote:

- You've just been busted in the act of racism, anti-white racism, but racism is the same for the second time. I'll hang up and I'll call the police.

I contacted the police of the City of Montreal (CMPS), and tell me that I was right to complain. I spoke to two policemen, one from Quebec and one of Haitian descent, who is of Haitian origin advised me not to visit the McDonald's in downtown Montreal, or even Burger King or Buffalo Wings, as he says, the "Negroes" who work there are sometimes racist.

He told me that often the Haitian community make him shame with his gang and I quote again, his "escaped from the container" spitting on the Quebec because we do not walk the streets with 12 gauge and machetes, as Haitians in Montreal is no longer found in their community, like the time when Haitians were rescued from the murderous regime of Papa Doc and Baby Doc.

He also said that I had to hold my ground and do not let me walk around by whatever the ethnic community, for having built the police as well as his family and, in less than a generation, other immigrants can do it is only a matter of will.

He even found a philosophy that I share, it is not Quebecers that should be assimilated to multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is not so bad, but mainly leads to sectarianism and ethnic isolationism. If all immigrants fit to Quebec nationalism with the help of Quebecers, not just ethnic families will experience a better fate, but the people of Quebec will be more appreciated and respected throughout the world. We could all go out a united nation.

Labels: Francis Chartrand, Haiti, Montréal, Tania Tokarski

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 1:59 AM 0 Comments

Haiti) The government of Haiti is failing to protect the country’s girls against rape and sexual violence, Amnesty International said today, as it launched a report calling for authorities to recognise the severity of the problem and to fulfil its duty to protect young women.

Fifty five per cent of the 105 rapes reported so far this year were of girls aged under 18. This is according to one of the few organizations which records the number of sexual attacks on women and girls. Last year the same organization recorded 58 per cent of rapes or sexual violence involving girls aged between 19 months and 18 years. Crucially, however, the real scale of the problem is not fully known because of a lack of central figures.

Amnesty International said the police unit in charge of protecting minors, the Minors’ Protection Brigade (Brigade de Protection des Mineurs), is woefully under-staffed. In March 2008, the unit had only 12 officers to cover the entire country with not one vehicle at its disposal. If complaints are investigated, the organization said, the response of the justice system is weak and largely ineffectual.

“Sexual violence against girls, and in particular rape, is pervasive in Haiti and it can no longer be ignored,” said Gerardo Ducos, Amnesty International’s Caribbean Researcher.

“The Haitian government does not fulfil its obligations to protect girls. Given the lack of official help, it is perhaps not surprising that most of those who rape and attack girls are not brought to justice and are able to continue committing these crimes with no fear of punishment. For many girls, surviving sexual violence means keeping silent.”

The organization said that, while widespread reports of groups of armed men raping women started under the military regime between 1991 and 1994, it has now become a common practice among gangs of young men, especially in the run up to Carnival each year.

While Amnesty International recognised the country’s National Plan to Combat Violence Against Women as a step forward, it urged the Haitian authorities to implement it effectively and to fulfil their obligations under regional and international human rights law.

"We recognize that the government faces serious challenges. It is trying to strengthen development, good governance, and the rule of law - none of which could be fully achieved without the protection of girls' and women's rights,” said Gerardo Ducos.

“Leaders must address the lack of confidence in the police and the justice system so girls can rely on them when they’re seeking help and redress. There must also be a coordinated way to collect information across Haiti to measure the nature and extent of violence against girls and women and to make these results public in both official languages. The government must not turn its back on the girls of Haiti."

Amnesty International is highlighting this sexual violence in Haiti as part of its Safe Schools for Girls project within the campaign Stop Violence Against Women. The Safe Schools for Girls project is founded on the belief that the violence that girls face as they pursue their education violates their fundamental human rights. If violence against school girls goes unpunished this sends out a message to other children and society at large that violence against women and girls is acceptable and that suffering violence in silence is the norm.

Background

This report ‘Don’t Turn Your Back on Girls: Sexual violence against girls in Haiti’ is based on research carried out by Amnesty International and interviews carried out during visits to Haiti by Amnesty International researchers in September 2007 and March 2008. Girls’ names have been changed in this report in order to protect their privacy and ensure that their security is not compromised.

Haiti is one of the few countries in the Americas region which doesn’t have specific legal provisions addressing domestic violence.

The report was launched as part of a series of workshops by Amnesty International representatives in Haiti, and as part of a global campaign of actions about women’s rights, around Women Human Rights Defenders Day on 29 November 2008. The Stop Violence Against Women campaign pushes for the implementation of existing laws that guarantee access to justice and services, calls for new laws to be enacted that will protect women's human rights, demands an end to laws that discriminate against women, and urges the ending of violence against women perpetrated by a state and its agents.

The Safe Schools for Girls project recognises that no violence against girls is justifiable and all such violence is preventable.

When girls are denied their right to education, this is often linked to other human rights violations. For example, if girls are denied their right to adequate housing by being forcibly evicted from their homes, they may not be able to attend school. If their right to the highest attainable standard of health is violated, for example if they are denied essential medication, this will adversely affect their educational opportunities. If girls are not protected from physical, psychological and sexual violence, the effect is to undermine their right to education, as well as their right to freedom from violence. Girls who are subjected to violence report that they have difficulty learning, find that their sense of self-worth is diminished, and may drop out of school altogether. Once they leave the formal education system, most will never return.

Link

Labels: Amnesty International, Francis Chartrand, Haiti, Human rights

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 2:10 PM 0 Comments

Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) medical teams are struggling to provide free quality emergency care to pregnant women and their babies in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In the last month, hundreds of women have desperately sought emergency obstetric care at Jude-Anne hospital in Port-au-Prince. In October, the hospital staff assisted a record high of 56 women giving birth in one day and received 160 women waiting for hospitalization. The hospital has been so overwhelmed by demand that mothers have given birth in the hospital’s waiting room, the staircases and in the washrooms: basically anywhere they could find space. For this 60-bed emergency hospital (including 5 delivery beds) with an average rate of 35 births a day (1000 births a month), this is an untenable situation.

The overwhelming number of patients at Jude-Anne hospital is the result of several factors. The most critical being the repeated hospital strikes in the capital. For example, the government’s central hospital in Port-au-Prince, an important referral center for pregnant women who do not have complications in their pregnancies, has been on strike for the past 3 weeks, with no end in sight.

“If the situation continues I am afraid women and children will die as a result. Hospitals must accept patients and give free maternal care immediately or the situation will become catastrophic. I urge the government and its donors to reinforce the implementation of free obstetric services without delay,” explains Head of mission Hans van Dillen.

Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western hemisphere. Despite the Ministry of Health receiving funding in February 2008 to implement a free obstetric care program in the country, a system of cost recovery continues. Babies and mothers are dying unnecessarily partially because authorities are too slow to apply the free program and some hospitals are too reluctant to implement it.

MSF is extremely worried by the impact of the strikes on the access to care for pregnant women, and urges the Ministry of Health to immediately implement the promised free obstetric care program to help save the lives of mothers and babies.

MSF in Haiti

In the capital Port-au-Prince, MSF provides emergency obstetric care in Jude Anne hospital; organises mobile clinics in the slums of Martissant, Pelé Simon, La Saline and Solino; offers emergency and stabilization care in Martissant hospital; and provides trauma care and physiotherapy in La Trinité and Pacot hospitals, including counseling for victims of sexual violence. North of the capital, in the Gonaives, MSF set up a water and sanitation program and mobile clinics, and manages an 80-bed hospital to provide emergency, maternity and pediatric care, in response to the destruction caused by tropical storms and hurricanes.

Link

Labels: Doctors Without Borders, Haiti, Iba Bouramine

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 12:43 AM 0 Comments

After Hurricane Gustav made landfall last week, Tropical Storm Hanna caused serious damage to Haiti’s coastline on September 1 and September 2. Many towns are flooded and remain difficult, if not impossible, to access.

According to authorities, 25,000 to 30,000 houses were destroyed and up to 500 people have died nationwide. People have very little access to food and clean water, and major crops have been destroyed.

On Thursday, September 4, an MSF team of eight medical and non-medical personnel arrived in Gonaïves to clean out the Rabouteau Health Center, the only working structure (out of four health centers and one hospital) after the floods. Thanks to the support of the local population, MSF was able to clean the facility, supply medicine, and restart the operating room. On September, 5, MSF performed 110 consultations, treated 49 injured people and carried out 16 surgical procedures.

On Saturday people started fleeing the city by the thousands to seek refuge, after authorities warned of the arrival of Hurricane Ike. The Rabouteau Health Center MSF is supporting remains the only working health structure in the town.

A critical concern is the lack of access to clean water for the city’s inhabitants. All the local sources of water were contaminated as a result of the flooding. This concern is compounded by the fact that most of the local medical staff have fled the area.

MSF has not been able to reach many areas of the city given the flooding, making it difficult to properly assess the scope of needs of the population.

An MSF physician went on Saturday to Saint Michel de l’Atalaye, where 400 people have been stranded without food or water for five days. MSF brought one child to Gonaïves for surgical care and distributed food and water from the World Food Program.

A three-person MSF team went to Cap Haïtien to assess the emergency response capacities and establish local contacts to help immediately assess needs in aftermath of Hurricane Ike. MSF teams have not been able to reach many of the flooded areas on the eastern side of the community. Hospitals and health structures are reported to have been seriously damaged in this area.

Today the flooded areas between Gonaïves, Port de Paix, and Cap Haïtien cannot be reached while towns like Enry or Gros Morne, which were strongly affected by Hanna, have not received any assistance. MSF is still pushing to gain access to these areas, though the coming hurricane might limit their ability to reach these areas.

Existing MSF activities in Port-au-Prince are continuing. The organization provides medical and surgical care at La Trinité trauma centre; emergency obstetrical care in Jude Anne Hospital; and emergency health-care services and essential health services through mobile clinics in the Martissant slum. A mobile clinic team went to the La Saline slum earlier this week.

Ike, a category four hurricane, has now reached Haiti’s neighborhood and rains have started again.

Link

Labels: Doctors Without Borders, Haiti, Noémie Cournoyer

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 11:49 PM 0 Comments