Thousands of supporters of ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide took to the streets on February 17 as French President Nicolas Sarkozy toured the earthquake-ravaged capital of Port au Prince.
Holding pictures of Aristide aloft, they chanted for France to pay more than US$21 billion in restitution and reparations.
More than 200 years ago, Haitian slaves overthrew their French masters and declared independence in 1804. France forced the new Haitian republic to pay crippling reparations for loss of property (i.e. the former slaves) in return for French recognition of Haiti's independence.
Protesters also demanded Aristide's return to Haiti, protesting France's role in the 2004 coup that overthrew him.
Aristide, who remains widely popular among Haiti's poor, first raised the issue of restitution and reparations in April 2003. His government calculated that the total sum of debt Haiti was forced to pay with interest, along with reparations for the unpaid labor of millions of slaves kidnapped from Africa and forced to work on French plantations in Haiti, came to more than $21 billion.
Aristide's administration pushed the issue on the international stage.
Aristide was forced out of the country in a coup 10 months later. The main author of the coup is still seen as the US administration of George Bush, but Haitians have never forgotten the role France played in supporting the opposition movement to Aristide.
During an address to Haitian dignitaries, Sarkozy offered $400 million in emergency assistance, reconstruction funds and support for the Haitian government's operating budget. This was in addition to France's earlier decision to cancel Haiti's debt of $77 million.
Paulette Joseph, one of the protest organisers, responded: "$477 million doesn't even come close to the damage France inflicted upon Haiti before the earthquake.
"We were suffering from poverty before this crisis as a result of the debt Haiti was forced to pay the slave masters to recognise our independence.
"If our country is not equipped to handle this crisis and we are suffering more after the earthquake it is a direct result of that debt."
"We need Aristide to return!" shouted demonstrators as Haitian President Rene Preval made a rare appearance on the lawn in front of Haiti's destroyed seat of government.
Protesters chanted, "If Aristide were here he would be suffering along with us!", as Preval turned his back on the crowd and withdrew to his luxury jeep amid tight security.
[Abridged from HaitiAction.net.]