Originally posted at HaitiAction.net
WHERE: Rm. 204, Centre St. Pierre (1212 Rue Panet, between Rene Levesque and Rue St. Catherine St. East, nearest metro Beaudry), Montreal, QC, Canada
WHEN: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 10 am
WHO: The Committee for the Reimbursement of the Indemnity Money Extorted from Haiti (CRIME)
CRIME’s press conference on Thursday comes one week after the French government stated it was considering legal recourse against those behind the spoof announcement that France would repay the 90 million gold francs it had demanded in financial compensation from Haiti after the former French colony’s independence.
CRIME took responsibility for the fake announcement last Friday, with the group’s spokesperson Laurence Fabre commenting that “It is most unfortunate that the Quay d’Orsay has been so ungrateful, and frankly, uncooperative, with our bold initiative to improve the French government’s reputation in Haiti.”
In a public statement explaining their action, CRIME stated, “Is a spoof website such a grave crime, when compared to what the French have done in Haiti? We leave it to the court of world public opinion to decide: Who are the real criminals.”
CRIME is extending a special invitation to Thursday’s press conference to members of Montreal’s Haitian diaspora community.
A video of the fake announcement is available at diplomatiegov.info.