From 1915 to 1934, the United States occupied Haiti under the guise of ensuring stability and protecting it from European interference. However, according to the New York Times, evidence from decades of diplomatic correspondence, financial records and historical analysis reveals a more menacing driver behind the occupation: Wall Street! Specifically, National City Bank, now Citigroup, played a central role in pushing for US intervention in Haiti, driven by the desire to secure financial dominance over the Caribbean state to expand its business beyond US borders.
In 1914, a year before the invasion, National City Bank orchestrated the seizure of $500,000 in gold from Haiti’s treasury. This aggressive financial intervention destabilised Haiti's economy and laid the groundwork for US control. US Marines invaded Haiti seven months later, in 1915, but the occupation primarily served to protect and expand Wall Street's investments.
In 1914, a year before the invasion, National City Bank orchestrated the seizure of $500,000 in gold from Haiti’s treasury. This aggressive financial intervention destabilised Haiti's economy and laid the groundwork for US control. US Marines invaded Haiti seven months later, in 1915, but the occupation primarily served to protect and expand Wall Street's investments.
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Continued.........National City Bank assumed control of Haiti’s central bank and redesigned Haiti’s financial system to benefit US economic interests.
The occupation reshaped Haiti’s economy, transforming it into a tool for Wall Street profiteering. Infrastructure projects during the occupation primarily served US business interests. The occupiers redirected export industries like sugar to benefit US corporations. Meanwhile, much of Haiti’s revenue was funnelled toward debt repayment to US banks, leaving little for national development.
This week’s Facts of the Week lays out this history and dismantles the narrative that US intervention was ever well-meaning. Instead, it was a calculated move to use Haiti as a pawn for Wall Street's imperialist agenda, a stark reminder of the intersection between financial greed and systemic oppression.
The occupation reshaped Haiti’s economy, transforming it into a tool for Wall Street profiteering. Infrastructure projects during the occupation primarily served US business interests. The occupiers redirected export industries like sugar to benefit US corporations. Meanwhile, much of Haiti’s revenue was funnelled toward debt repayment to US banks, leaving little for national development.
This week’s Facts of the Week lays out this history and dismantles the narrative that US intervention was ever well-meaning. Instead, it was a calculated move to use Haiti as a pawn for Wall Street's imperialist agenda, a stark reminder of the intersection between financial greed and systemic oppression.
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Continued...SOURCES
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/haiti-wall-street-us-banks.html
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/peter-james-hudson-bankers-and-empire/#:~:text=The%20occupation%20provided%20the%20platform,of%20business%E2%80%9D%20for%20City%20Bank
https://haitiforever.org/windowsonhaiti/am-occup.htm
https://eji.org/news/haitis-forced-payments-to-enslavers-cost-economy-21-billion-the-new-york-times-found/
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2018/04/12/banking-on-a-shithole-us-led-racial-capitalism-in-haiti-began-long-before-trump/
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/glb_cap_crbn_prsm/files/hudson_rhr_national_city_haiti.pdf?m=1458224302#:~:text=Under%20Stillman%2C%20National%20City%20Bank,%2C%20most%20importantly%2C%20Standard%20Oil.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/haiti-wall-street-us-banks.html
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/peter-james-hudson-bankers-and-empire/#:~:text=The%20occupation%20provided%20the%20platform,of%20business%E2%80%9D%20for%20City%20Bank
https://haitiforever.org/windowsonhaiti/am-occup.htm
https://eji.org/news/haitis-forced-payments-to-enslavers-cost-economy-21-billion-the-new-york-times-found/
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2018/04/12/banking-on-a-shithole-us-led-racial-capitalism-in-haiti-began-long-before-trump/
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/glb_cap_crbn_prsm/files/hudson_rhr_national_city_haiti.pdf?m=1458224302#:~:text=Under%20Stillman%2C%20National%20City%20Bank,%2C%20most%20importantly%2C%20Standard%20Oil.
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BIDEN PARDONS SON TWO MONTHS AFTER EXECUTION OF BLACK PRISONER
Two months after pleas to pardon a Black prisoner, Marcellus Williams, in a case with contradictions went unheeded, US President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter, a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for offences committed between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024.
Biden had previously stated he would not pardon his son, emphasising respect for the judicial process. However, in his 1 December statement, Biden cited political interference as a factor.
Hunter Biden faced a 12 December sentencing for federal gun charges after lying on a firearms application about his addiction and a 16 December sentencing for tax evasion, with prison sentences totalling up to 42 years.
Two months after pleas to pardon a Black prisoner, Marcellus Williams, in a case with contradictions went unheeded, US President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter, a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for offences committed between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024.
Biden had previously stated he would not pardon his son, emphasising respect for the judicial process. However, in his 1 December statement, Biden cited political interference as a factor.
Hunter Biden faced a 12 December sentencing for federal gun charges after lying on a firearms application about his addiction and a 16 December sentencing for tax evasion, with prison sentences totalling up to 42 years.
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Continued.........Williams was executed on 24 September despite evidence casting doubt on his guilt and opposition from the victim's family. The prosecution allegedly incentivised informants who testified. After dismissing six prospective Black jurors, the almost all-white jury contained only one Black juror. Meanwhile, DNA evidence on the murder weapon did not match Williams.
Legal efforts to commute his sentence were unsuccessful, with the Missouri Supreme Court rejecting a motion for life without parole, and the US Supreme Court declining to intervene. His case aligns with broader systemic disparities, as a 2022 report by the National Registry of Exonerations found Black people are significantly more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US.
What would the reaction from the West be if an African president granted his son a pardon? Does the difference in how Marcellus Williams and Hunter Biden have been treated relate to proximity to power? Let us know what you think.
Legal efforts to commute his sentence were unsuccessful, with the Missouri Supreme Court rejecting a motion for life without parole, and the US Supreme Court declining to intervene. His case aligns with broader systemic disparities, as a 2022 report by the National Registry of Exonerations found Black people are significantly more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US.
What would the reaction from the West be if an African president granted his son a pardon? Does the difference in how Marcellus Williams and Hunter Biden have been treated relate to proximity to power? Let us know what you think.
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Continued.......Sources:
Hunter pardoned
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/president-biden-pardons-his-son-hunter-biden/ar-AA1v5xZv
Marcellus Executed
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/
Black people more likely to be wrongfully convicted
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white
Hunter pardoned
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/president-biden-pardons-his-son-hunter-biden/ar-AA1v5xZv
Marcellus Executed
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/
Black people more likely to be wrongfully convicted
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white
MSN
President Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden
Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Sunday night, a reversal for the president, who repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence.
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21ST-CENTURY SLAVERY IN THE U.S.
In 1865, the United States formally abolished slavery through a constitutional amendment—but with a significant exception: Forced labour could still be used as punishment for a crime. This loophole has perpetuated a system where, though the whips may be gone, a different form of coercion endures, enforced through the legal and carceral systems.
Inmates, many of whom are disproportionately Black, find themselves trapped in a cycle where they serve the state or private companies under conditions that resemble the very institution slavery was meant to abolish. Major corporations like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as various government agencies, benefit from the low-cost labour pool.
This arrangement is particularly glaring in Alabama, where 10 predominately Black formerly incarcerated men and women filed in December 2023 a class-action lawsuit in federal court over forced labour.
In 1865, the United States formally abolished slavery through a constitutional amendment—but with a significant exception: Forced labour could still be used as punishment for a crime. This loophole has perpetuated a system where, though the whips may be gone, a different form of coercion endures, enforced through the legal and carceral systems.
Inmates, many of whom are disproportionately Black, find themselves trapped in a cycle where they serve the state or private companies under conditions that resemble the very institution slavery was meant to abolish. Major corporations like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as various government agencies, benefit from the low-cost labour pool.
This arrangement is particularly glaring in Alabama, where 10 predominately Black formerly incarcerated men and women filed in December 2023 a class-action lawsuit in federal court over forced labour.
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Continued.......Black people make up 38 per cent of incarcerated people despite representing only 12 per cent of the US population. In Alabama, Black people make up 26 per cent of the population while comprising 53.8 per cent of the prison population.
In 2023 alone, one estimate claimed Alabama generated $450 million from prison labour, while inmates working grueling hours often see only a fraction of their earnings.
Alabama's parole practices further reveal how the system ensures a steady supply of prison labour. Though parole board guidelines suggest that 80 per cent of cases should be granted, the state’s actual approval rate is a mere 10 per cent. Some see this discrepancy as a deliberate tactic to maintain a captive labour force, even when some prisoners are deemed safe to reintegrate into the community.
For those behind bars, the pressure to comply with labour demands is immense. Refusal can mean losing any hope of reconnecting with family or securing freedom or being forced to do more labour in prison for free.
Video credit: @moreperfectUS (X)
Sources:
https://x.com/i/status/1832800561382539551
13th amendment and slavery
https://medium.com/fourth-wave/slavery-was-never-abolished-8816e1a8de98
Corporations profiteer of Black prison labour
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama lawsuit
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama prison labour earnings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama’s problematic parole approval ratings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1217710630/prison-parole-alabama-redemption-earned-prisoners-release
Consequences of refusal to work
https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1832800561382539551 (5:37 - 5:55)
Black overrepresentation in prison
https://www.science.org/content/article/pandemic-may-have-been-setback-racial-makeup-u-s-prisons
In 2023 alone, one estimate claimed Alabama generated $450 million from prison labour, while inmates working grueling hours often see only a fraction of their earnings.
Alabama's parole practices further reveal how the system ensures a steady supply of prison labour. Though parole board guidelines suggest that 80 per cent of cases should be granted, the state’s actual approval rate is a mere 10 per cent. Some see this discrepancy as a deliberate tactic to maintain a captive labour force, even when some prisoners are deemed safe to reintegrate into the community.
For those behind bars, the pressure to comply with labour demands is immense. Refusal can mean losing any hope of reconnecting with family or securing freedom or being forced to do more labour in prison for free.
Video credit: @moreperfectUS (X)
Sources:
https://x.com/i/status/1832800561382539551
13th amendment and slavery
https://medium.com/fourth-wave/slavery-was-never-abolished-8816e1a8de98
Corporations profiteer of Black prison labour
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama lawsuit
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama prison labour earnings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama’s problematic parole approval ratings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1217710630/prison-parole-alabama-redemption-earned-prisoners-release
Consequences of refusal to work
https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1832800561382539551 (5:37 - 5:55)
Black overrepresentation in prison
https://www.science.org/content/article/pandemic-may-have-been-setback-racial-makeup-u-s-prisons
Medium
Slavery Was Never Abolished
How the 13th Amendment guarantees inequality
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AFRICAN HEROES MASSACRED BY FRANCE
Sunday, 1 December, marked the 80th anniversary of the brutal massacre of African soldiers at the French colonial military camp of Thiaroye, Senegal. The soldiers were African men of various ages who had been connoscripted and forced to serve in France's colonial army. They hailed from all over French colonial West and Central Africa and were collectively referred to as the Senegalese Tirailleurs - or sharpshooters.
These African men had just returned from Europe, where they had served on the frontlines of World War II in order to defend France from the spread of Nazism. Upon their return to Africa, they were sent to the Thiaroye camp to receive their wages and then return home to the various parts of the continent from which they came. However, this time round, their wages were delayed - and when they dared to protest about this, the French colonisers opened fire on them, murdering up to 400 African soldiers who’d served them in their own army.
Sunday, 1 December, marked the 80th anniversary of the brutal massacre of African soldiers at the French colonial military camp of Thiaroye, Senegal. The soldiers were African men of various ages who had been connoscripted and forced to serve in France's colonial army. They hailed from all over French colonial West and Central Africa and were collectively referred to as the Senegalese Tirailleurs - or sharpshooters.
These African men had just returned from Europe, where they had served on the frontlines of World War II in order to defend France from the spread of Nazism. Upon their return to Africa, they were sent to the Thiaroye camp to receive their wages and then return home to the various parts of the continent from which they came. However, this time round, their wages were delayed - and when they dared to protest about this, the French colonisers opened fire on them, murdering up to 400 African soldiers who’d served them in their own army.
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Continued.......On this anniversary, for the first time, a French president, Emmanuel Macron, has officially recognised that this massacre occurred - in a letter to the Senegalese president. Perhaps the reason for the change of tune is that countries across Africa are expelling French troops, and France is scrambling to save its image before a revolting population. However, recognition of this historical atrocity is not enough. Africans in former French colonies are calling for the full removal of all French military forces, an end to the neo-colonial CFA franc currency and the closure or nationalisation of the many French-based multinational corporations that have taken over the local economies of the region.
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"Time to leave" - Senegal to France
Senegal, under the leadership of 44-year-old President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has joined the anti-French wave sweeping across Francophone countries in West Africa. Elected in March on a radical pan-Africanist agenda, Faye has boldly called for the closure of French military bases in the former colony, which gained independence in 1960. He asserts that the presence of French troops on Senegalese soil is incompatible with the nation's sovereignty. Faye has made it clear that Dakar is not seeking a rupture with Paris but is redefining relations to ensure they are based on mutual respect and cooperation, free from any military presence. Currently, about 350 French military personnel operate out of two bases in the capital.
Senegal, under the leadership of 44-year-old President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has joined the anti-French wave sweeping across Francophone countries in West Africa. Elected in March on a radical pan-Africanist agenda, Faye has boldly called for the closure of French military bases in the former colony, which gained independence in 1960. He asserts that the presence of French troops on Senegalese soil is incompatible with the nation's sovereignty. Faye has made it clear that Dakar is not seeking a rupture with Paris but is redefining relations to ensure they are based on mutual respect and cooperation, free from any military presence. Currently, about 350 French military personnel operate out of two bases in the capital.
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Continued….. Faye cited the example of Senegal's bilateral ties with China, its biggest trading partner: Beijing has no military bases in the West African country.
Faye's decision coincided with the 80th anniversary of a colonial massacre committed on 1st December 1944 by French troops at the Thiaroye military camp near Dakar. Around 1,600 ‘Tirailleurs Sénégalais’ - a corp of African soldiers who had fought for France in World War II - went up to the military camp to demand delayed wages. French troops reportedly opened fire on the unarmed men, killing nearly 400, according to some historians.
Do you agree that the best way to honour the memory of the 'Tirailleurs Sénégalais' is by gaining total independence from France?
Sources:
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20241129-senegal-s-leader-says-france-should-close-all-army-bases-in-country
https://www.newarab.com/news/senegal-leader-calls-france-close-military-bases
https://english.news.cn/20241129/698175acadee400d9d4fc18526de2b19/c.html
Faye's decision coincided with the 80th anniversary of a colonial massacre committed on 1st December 1944 by French troops at the Thiaroye military camp near Dakar. Around 1,600 ‘Tirailleurs Sénégalais’ - a corp of African soldiers who had fought for France in World War II - went up to the military camp to demand delayed wages. French troops reportedly opened fire on the unarmed men, killing nearly 400, according to some historians.
Do you agree that the best way to honour the memory of the 'Tirailleurs Sénégalais' is by gaining total independence from France?
Sources:
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20241129-senegal-s-leader-says-france-should-close-all-army-bases-in-country
https://www.newarab.com/news/senegal-leader-calls-france-close-military-bases
https://english.news.cn/20241129/698175acadee400d9d4fc18526de2b19/c.html
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Continued….. https://diplomaticwatch.com/end-of-an-era-senegal-closes-french-military-bases/
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/senegal-follows-chad--seeks-to-end-french-military-presence
https://tass.com/world/1879807
https://apnews.com/article/senegal-france-thiaroye-colonial-massacre-tirailleurs-76db7190dcbc12349ff0d6ade82309b3
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/senegal-follows-chad--seeks-to-end-french-military-presence
https://tass.com/world/1879807
https://apnews.com/article/senegal-france-thiaroye-colonial-massacre-tirailleurs-76db7190dcbc12349ff0d6ade82309b3
Diplomatic Watch
End of an Era: Senegal Orders Closure of All French Military Bases
In a historic decision, the Senegalese government has announced the closure of all French military bases within its borders, marking
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