North America

Haitians rally in New York against Trump’s vulgar comments

 

Hundreds of Haitian immigrants have marched in New York City to express their outrage at the vulgar language used by US President Donald Trump against African and Central American immigrants.

Demonstrators gathered Friday morning in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn and walked to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in Lower Manhattan. They ended their march in front of the Trump Building on Wall Street.

The protesters were waving Haitian flags and chanting “Donald Trump, racist.”

Protester Jacqueline Francois said Trump doesn’t understand or know Haitians.

“I think the American people are supporting the Haitian people,” Francois said. “We want an apology from Trump.

On Thursday, several dozen Haitians protested outside the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince against the offensive comments.

“We are here today to let President Donald Trump know that we declare him persona non grata in Haiti,” said protest leader Mario Joseph, a prominent human rights lawyer and activist in the Caribbean island nation.

Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as “sh*thole countries” during a White House meeting about immigration last week, according to those at the meeting.

During the meeting, Trump also allegedly expressed preference for accepting European immigrants from countries such as Norway.

The president has denied using that language, but others present insist he did.

Trump’s alleged remarks have sparked widespread criticism in the US and abroad. He was widely condemned by many African countries and by international rights organizations for the comments.

The Haitian government said it was shocked by the reported remarks, which came on the eve of the anniversary of the country’s devastating January 2010 earthquake.

The Trump administration has said that about 60,000 Haitians who have been allowed to stay and work in the US since the earthquake must leave the country by July 2019.

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