2 Die as Police Fire on Rally
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Police fired at about 2,000 peaceful protesters marking the one-year anniversary Monday of the departure of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from the Caribbean nation. At least two people were killed and nearly a dozen were wounded in the clash.
The marchers encountered a police vehicle blocking the road in the Bel Air neighborhood, an Aristide stronghold. As crowds passed the vehicle, police fired tear gas, then bullets. Armed United Nations peacekeepers surrounded the area.
“This looked to be peaceful, but for some reason, we are not sure why, the Haitian police arrived and decided to disband the demonstration,” said Cmdr. Carlos Chagas Braga, a spokesman for the 7,400-member U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Calls to police were not immediately returned.
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