A Haitian leader made a big mistake at the UN General Assembly on Thursday when he spilled water while speaking about immigrants from Haiti allegedly eating dogs and cats.
The president of Haiti’s transitional council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, spoke for the first time to assembled world leaders about gang violence in the country, as its capital, Port-au-Prince, has been the scene of an ongoing gang war between two main groups and their allies.
Fils lamented the large number of citizens who fled due to the riots, before addressing false claims about Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, enthusiastically eating their pets.
He expressed concern that Haitians in the United States and around the world could face prejudice as a result of the claims, which were first made by former President Donald Trump.
When Fils was about to answer a question, he could be seen lifting the huge jug and trying to drink from it, instead of pouring it into a glass. He proceeded to miss her mouth, creating a moment to remember.
The president of Haiti’s transitional council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, spilled water Thursday while talking about immigrants allegedly eating dogs and cats on Thursday.
He expressed concern that Haitians in the United States and around the world could face prejudice as a result of the claims, which were first made by former President Donald Trump in the Sept. 10 presidential debate.
“I would like to extend a fraternal greeting to all friends of Haiti who have shown solidarity with the immigrants of our country, and in particular with those who live in Springfield, Ohio,” Fils said at one point.
The history of ties between the United States and Haiti “allows us to say with confidence that the American people reject any incitement to hatred against our community,” he added.
‘The passions that arise naturally during an electoral campaign should never serve as a pretext for xenophobia or racism in a country like the United States, a country forged by immigrants… that has become a model of democracy for the world.’
While answering a fellow delegate’s question about the dignity of Haitians, he made the now-viral mistake.
He then tried to make light of the apparent slip, setting the jug down before quickly wiping his mouth.
Images of the slip continue to circulate on social media, as do the former president’s claims about Haitians living in Springfield.
During the debate with Harris, Trump specifically focused on the small town,
When Fils was about to answer a question, he could be seen lifting the huge jug and trying to drink from it, instead of pouring it into a glass.
He proceeded to miss her mouth, creating a moment to remember. He then tried to make light of the apparent slip, setting the jug down before quickly wiping his mouth.
‘They are eating the dogs. They are eating the cats. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there,” Trump said a few weeks ago, paving the way for memes like this one.
‘They are eating the dogs. They are eating the cats. “They are eating the pets of the people who live there,” he said, without presenting evidence to support his claims.
They appeared to stem from a Facebook post by Springfield resident Erika Lee, who wrote about the disappearance of a neighbor’s cat, before adding that a neighbor told her she thought the cat was the victim of an attack by her Haitian neighbors.
“It just blew up into something that I didn’t want to happen,” Lee told NBC News earlier this month, just days after the Sept. 10 debate.
A photograph of a man holding a dead goose taken in Columbus further fueled speculation, as did a graphic video of a woman who allegedly killed and attempted to eat a cat in Canton.
The latter had no connection to the Haitian community, and Springfield police say they have found no evidence to support Trump’s sensational claims.
Meanwhile, the US State Department is urging tourists to avoid visiting Haiti due to the current state of emergency.
Pictured is an image of a man holding a dead goose in Columbus, Ohio, one of the outlets that apparently started the rumors.
They wrote: ‘Kidnapping is widespread and American citizens have been victims and injured or killed. Kidnappers may plan carefully or attack victims at random, unplanned times. The hijackers will even target and attack convoys.
‘Kidnapping cases often involve ransom demands. The families of the victims have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their relatives.
Since the killing began, 8,400 people have been killed, injured or kidnapped, according to the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect reported.
Five million Haitians face acute hunger, 1.6 million are at risk of starvation, and more than 580,000 people are currently displaced.