The New Dark Age

15 July, 2010 — HLLN

BACKGROUND INFO

From fake website www.diplomatiegov.fr/rubrique.gb-14-07-2010.html

The real French government website is here at www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/

According to the fake website, France is repaying the historic debt of 90 million gold francs Haiti paid to France following the former’s independence at the dawn of the 19th century, July 14 2010.

On July 15, 2010 the government of France issued a retraction, threatened lawsuit – French foreign ministry probes fake website! bit.ly/au7paS

In this post

– Ezili Danto analysis: What if it wasn’t a hoax?

– French foreign ministry probes fake website! bit.ly/au7paS

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Clinton, Bush, and now France. Wow……how lucky can Haiti be? Clinton apologized, Bush co-chairs earthquake relief and France, well, France cannot be outdone, France will stay with us for 50-years and, cough, cough, pay Haiti the Independence Debt (€17bil) back! (For complete article, go to: bit.ly/bNGy44 )

Since we’re looking at this hypothetically as if France had made an admission of error, we ask when will the US pay its part of the Independence Debt paid by Haiti from 1914 to 1947? Compensate Haiti farmers for the lost of our agriculture per Clinton’s apology? Compensate Haiti farmers for USAID’s destruction of Haiti’s Kreyòl pigs – the savings of the peasants that was destroyed? In addition to the money, perhaps France will give President Aristide a free journey on Air France to return home. They might also return the bones of Toussaint L’ Ouverture from the cold Jura mountains. The list is simply endless. But this surprise move by France, assuming it were true and not a hoax, would inspires us to listing what’s been taken unjustly from Haiti. More could be listed. Stay tune to Ezili Danto of HLLN the only Haitian-led organization to pick up the demand made by President Jean Bertrand Aristide and continue a consistent campaign for its repayment since 2004 under the FreeHaitiMovement. Who would get this money? The NGOS or would it be put, in trust, and run by trustworthy Haitians, with good credentials with the poor populace, for the benefit of the people of Haiti? (See, Ezili Dantò’s Sarkozy’s visit to Haiti: A Buzzard Looking For a Free Meal? But Haitians Demand Back The Independence Debt and Claim Haiti’s Sovereignty.)

Anyway, I’ve got a brilliant counter-offer for France. Forget the hoax. Here’s what France can do now. Promises to Haiti like the promises to Americas’ black and indigenous peoples are hardly ever kept. Recall 40 acres and a mule? Consider to date, 6-months after the earthquake, the US has delivered zero on the $1B aid pledged to Haiti and the Red Cross is waiting for “later” to spend the half billion its raised in the name of the quake victims as they die now.

I say why don’t we nix the hoax, nix the half-century payment plan contemplated by the hoax and just ask Sarkorzy do the necessary to get his good friend, that one little ol’ lady, France’s richest woman – L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt – who is worth $20billion euro dollars and doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. Seems her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, says she’s not suing because she needs the money. Soooo France, what say we nix the 50-year payment, you have Sarkorzy convince his dear friend the L’Oreal heiress to sign over her estate to a Haiti trust for the people of Haiti? Uhmmm? If France wants to do something, she can guarantee collection by Haiti, and we’ll call it a draw? Sounds like a win-win scenario to me. We all save 50-years of hassling paperwork. Haiti gets paid one lump sum. The charming society man accused of conning the 87-year-old, mentally frail heiress out of cash and artworks worth euro1 billion ($1.2 billion) and even out of an Island, walks away with nothing. Justice serve. Whatchasay? Ok, ok, you’re right, the butler deserves a reward. Haiti will through in an extra incentive. We’ll let the butler come and start his very own charitable NGO in Haiti. The butler will now live well like the rest of the NGO executives in Haiti, his own gardener, cook, chauffeur, expense account, tax write-off, exploitation sex with young barefoot Haitian girls or boys with no choice, car with tainted windows, tropical ocean breeze and 14,000 UN security. C’est magnifique! (For complete article, go to: bit.ly/bNGy44)

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French foreign ministry probes fake website! bit.ly/au7paS

PARIS – The French foreign ministry said Thursday it was considering taking legal action after a mystery group launched an online copy of its official website carrying fake news.

The site at www.diplomatiegov.fr is a close copy of the ministry’s own at www.diplomatie.gouv.fr and includes accurate links and pirated versions of real videos and news releases from Bernard Kouchner’s ministry.

There is also a video in which a woman masquerading as a ministry spokeswoman says Paris will repay the 90 million gold francs that Haiti paid France between 1825 and 1947 in reparations after fighting for independence.

An accompanying press release, formatted to match a genuine statement but sent from a non-official gmail account, said “including adjustments for inflation and a minimal interest rate of five per cent per annum, this sum is today valued at 17 billion euros (21 billion dollars).”

France has no plans to repay Haiti this sum, and a foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that the press release, video and website were all fake.

“This Internet site . . . broadcasts false news and fraudulently copies the foreign ministry site,” said spokesman Bernard Valero. “We are studying what legal steps we can take to remedy this situation.”

A telephone number on the fake press release was unattributed and AFP received no immediate reply from the email address used by its sender. © Copyright (c) AFP

Forwarded by Ezili’s Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network