Clashes at Haiti police protest, demos continue

A small protest in front of National Police Headquarters in the Haitian capital sparked violence on Sunday, with police protesters setting barricades alight while other officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The police in Port-Au-Prince have been holding protests demanding better pay and working conditions since the beginning of this year, prompting the government to offer raises and benefits, which some officers have rejected during Haiti's economic changes.

Other demonstrations also took place in several other areas of the capital protesting the government's pandemic response, alleging that the authorities have not done enough to provide treatment for those affected, or offered economic support for those who have lost work due Haiti's country-wide lockdown aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus.

Some protesters were seen carrying banners with pictures of George Floyd, the US man who died while being detained by police in Minneapolis, and whose death has sparked anti-racism protests worldwide.

Two local journalists were injured during the protests, both struck in the head with tear-gas canisters, and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, where they remain in a serious condition.

The protests come at a difficult time for Haiti's government which has had more than a year of street protests aimed at forcing President Jovenel Moïse's resignation over corruption charges, along with the coronavirus pandemic putting pressure the country's health system.

(Representative Image)(Image Credit Pixabay)