Haitian authorities have summoned the French ambassador Antoine Michon over French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial remarks on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil, where he labelled Haiti’s leaders “completely stupid” and criticised its political direction.
In footage captured in Brazil, on November 21 Macron said: “Honestly, it is Haitians who killed Haiti by letting in drug trafficking” and Haitians were “completely stupid” for ousting former prime minister Garry Conille amid political infighting.
French President Macron declares in a bold and impromptu statement:
“Haitians destroyed Haiti themselves.”
— facesofhaiti • ?? (@FacesOfHaiti_) November 20, 2024
Conille was removed from office on November 11 amid worsening gang warfare in the country.
Macron’s comments sparked widespread outrage in Haiti, a former French colony that gained independence in 1804 after a successful slave revolt.
Following independence, Haiti was forced to pay France a huge “debt” for lost property, including slaves — an obligation some activists have claimed amounted to more than $100 billion, which, they argued, has contributed to Haiti’s ongoing economic and political instability.
In a letter to the French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot on November 21, Haiti’s foreign minister Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, expressed the Haitian government’s outrage, stating Macron’s comments were “an unfriendly and inappropriate gesture that must be rectified”.
Le Ministre des Affaires Étrangères, Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, a rencontré l’Ambassadeur de France en Haïti @AntoineMichon1. Au nom du Pouvoir de Transition, il a exprimé sa vive protestation face aux propos du Président français qui méritent d'être rectifiés. pic.twitter.com/2iE5utRdDY
— Ministère des Affaires étrangères et des Cultes (@MAE_Haiti) November 21, 2024
In response to Macron’s remarks, the Fondation pour la Mémoire de l’Esclavage (Foundation for Slavery) (FME) expressed deep regret, particularly given he was speaking in Rio, Brazil, at the Valongo quay — “an important site in the history of the Atlantic slave trade”.
“As Haiti grapples with a profound crisis, the FME reiterates its April 2024 statement: ‘Haiti is burning, let’s stop looking the other way,’ urging France to show solidarity with the Haitian people in the name of urgency and history,” the FME added.
