About two thousand people took to the streets of Haiti’s capital on Monday to protest comments attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump about the nation being a “shithole” country, which caused uproar in the world’s first independent black republic.
Trump denied using the word to describe Haiti and African countries during a meeting on immigration earlier this month, but his account was contradicted by others, including Democratic Senator Richard Durbin, who attended the talks.
The reports provoked widespread outrage and fierce criticism globally, and the Haitian demonstrators participating in the first major street protest in the Caribbean nation since Trump’s alleged remarks pilloried the U.S. president.
“Trump is a vulgar racist, and a racist is a very poor-minded person,” said Marvel Joseph, holding a Haitian flag. “We don’t feel any resentment against the American people, who we know largely disapprove of Trump’s behavior in the White House.”
Protesters brandished posters of Donald Trump sporting an anus where his mouth was supposed to be, and other caricatures of the president making reference to the body part.
