The opening ceremony of the 6th World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, January 24, included a protest against the presence of the United Nations (UN) Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which is led by Brazil.
One of the speakers – there were around 15 – was the Haitian economist, Camille Chalmers, executive secretary of the organization, Platform for a Sustainable Development Alternative.
Chalmers called the mission "shameful" and called on the "solidarity of the Latin American nations to denounce it."
At the present time, a Chilean diplomat, Juan Gabriel Valdés, is head of the MINUSTAH, and a Brazilian general, José Elito Carvalho Siqueira, commands the UN military forces stationed there.
According to the Haitian activist, what the UN is doing is not a form of solidarity with the Haitian people. "The countries present in Haiti are merely performing a service for the United States," he said.
The opening of the 6th Forum was marked by a march, followed by a political demonstration, with the slogan "No to war. No to imperialism. An alternative world is possible."
ABr