A Haitian leader made a major blunder at the UN General Assembly on Thursday when he spilled water on himself while talking about migrants from Haiti allegedly eating cats and dogs.
The chairman of Haiti’s transitional council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, spoke for the first time to world leaders about gang violence in the country, as the capital Port-au-Prince has been the scene of an ongoing gang war between two major groups and their allies.
Fils lamented the large number of civilians fleeing the unrest before addressing false claims that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were avidly eating pets.
He expressed concern that Haitians in the U.S. and globally could face prejudice as a result of the claims first made by former President Donald Trump.
As Fils was about to ask a question, he was seen picking up the huge jug and trying to drink from it, instead of pouring it into a glass. He then missed his mouth, creating a moment he will never forget.
Haiti’s Transitional Council President Edgard Leblanc Fils spilled water on himself while talking about migrants allegedly eating cats and dogs
He expressed concern that Haitians in the U.S. and globally could face prejudice as a result of the claims first made by former President Donald Trump during the September 10 presidential debate.
“I would like to extend a brotherly greeting to all the friends of Haiti who have shown solidarity with the migrants from our country – and especially those living in Springfield, Ohio,” Fils said at one point.
The history of U.S.-Haitian ties “allows us to say with confidence that the American people reject any incitement to hatred against our community,” he added.
“The passions that naturally arise during an election campaign should never serve as a pretext for xenophobia or racism in a country like the United States, a country created by immigrants… which 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 downplay the apparent slip by putting the pitcher down before quickly wiping his mouth.
Images of the mistake continue to circulate on social media, as do the ex-president’s claims about the Haitians living in Springfield.
During the debate with Harris, Trump specifically targeted the small town:
As Fils was about to ask a question, he was seen picking up the huge jug and trying to drink from it, instead of pouring it into a glass.
He then missed his mouth, creating a moment he will never forget. He then tried to downplay the apparent slip by putting the pitcher down before quickly wiping his mouth
‘They eat the dogs. They eat the cats. They eat the pets of the people who live there,” Trump said a few weeks ago – paving the way for memes like this
‘They eat the dogs. They eat the cats. They eat the pets of the people who live there,” he said, without any evidence to support his claims.
They appeared to stem from a Facebook post by Springfield resident Erika Lee, who wrote about a neighbor’s missing 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 I didn’t want to happen,” Lee told NBC News earlier this month, just days after the September 10 debate.
A photo of a man holding a dead goose taken in Columbus further fueled the speculation, as did a graphic video of a woman allegedly killing and trying to eat a cat in Canton.
The latter had no connection to the Haitian community, and police in Springfield say they have found no evidence to support Trump’s sensational claims.
The US State Department, meanwhile, is urging tourists to avoid visiting Haiti, due to the ongoing state of emergency.
Pictured is an image of a man holding a dead goose in Columbus, Ohio – one of the media outlets that apparently started the rumors
They wrote: ‘Kidnapping is widespread, and American citizens have been victimized and injured or killed. Kidnappers may plan carefully or target victims at random, unplanned times. Kidnappers will even attack convoys.
‘Kidnappings often involve ransom demands. The families of the victims have paid thousands of dollars to save their relatives.”
Since the massacre began, 8,400 people have been killed, injured or kidnapped 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.
