Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Haitians Participate in Massive Pro-Democracy Protest Sandra Lemaire WASHINGTON/PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haitians again took to the streets of Port-au-Prince Sundayin a massive protestto reject the government of PresidentJuvenelMoise and protest a recent spate of kidnappings. The peaceful march, organized by Protestant pastors,included Haitians from all sectors of society, marchers said.Itmarked the fourth week of the country's standoff between the president and the nation's opposition movement. [1]#Haiti Thousands fill the streets to participate in Protestant sector's march against dictatorship and kidnappings ð¹Renan Toussaint [2]#protest [3]pic.twitter.com/KyCJ9wYMF8 -- Sandra Lemaire (@SandraDVOA) [4]February 28, 2021 "Today we proved to the world that the Haitian people are united. We are not divided," anti-corruptionPetroChallengeractivistReginald Dume told VOA. "There is no difference between those who worship Voodoo, Catholics, activists, doctors, engineers," he said. "Todayit'sHaitians who are awarethat we are facing huge problems and that we cannot accept dictatorship to continue." The marchtook placeas Haiti is experiencing political and security turmoiland a dispute overwhenPresidentJovenelMoise's termshould end.The U.S. and the United Nations, while they have backed Moise's contention that he only has servedfouryears of afive-year term, have called for elections this year. On Feb. 7,Moise announcedthe government had thwartedan attempted coup.Three Supreme Court justiceswere sidelined. Last week, members of theU.N.Security Council expressed concern about Haiti's worsening political instability. Moise spoke to theSecurity Council defending the measures he has taken. "To reinforce the rule of law'¦in the absence of a functioning parliament, I had to adopt certain decrees that were necessary to combat organized crime, rampant insecurity andkidnapping,"Moise said in French. As protesters made their way through the capital,they sang, played music and chanted "Mare Jovenel, Jojo Mele," which translates to "Arrest Jovenel."Using"Jojo," a nickname for the president,"Jojo Mele" means "Jojoisin trouble." Haitian protesters make their way through the streets of Port-Prince, Feb. 28,2021. (VOA/Matiado Vilme) They also chanted slogans againstU.S. Ambassador Michele Sison andHelen La Lime, the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative in Haiti and head of the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, BINUH.Protesters decried La Lime'sassessment last week to the U.N. Security Council that 3,000 protesters participated in the Sunday February 21 march. They say the real numberwas tens of thousands. "Today we are not 3,000 people,we are3million in the streets, Mrs. La Lime! Thank you," Dume said.The VOA Creole reporters on the scene Sunday estimatedthe crowd at tens of thousands. VOA Creole saw many signs in English among the massive crowd and one in multiple languages. "We say no to dictatorship in different languages because when you sayU.N.they speak a lot of languages - this is in English and Spanish and Chinese and whatever-becauseanyone who looks at us can understand that we say no to dictatorship," a female protester holding a sign in multiple languages told VOA. [5]#Haiti Here's a protester who tells us in English what they are mad about [6]#Protestant march. Criticism for [7]@BINUH_UN [8]@USEmbassyHaiti and [9]@moisejovenel. The poster is in multiple languages including [10]#Chinese ð¹Renan Toussaint [11]pic.twitter.com/AI6qCoqd8s -- Sandra Lemaire (@SandraDVOA) [12]February 28, 2021 Lawyer Andre Michel, who represents the Democratic and Popular sector of opposition groups,said hewas thrilled with the turnout. "We are so proud because today it's not just the opposition mobilizing. The people of Haiti are out here fighting for respect of the constitution. This is not just political," he told VOA. "There are Protestants, Catholics, women, young people, the lower class, professionals, lawyers, doctors, union leaders. The nation is out here." In the wealthy suburb of Petionville, protesters gathered near the luxuryKaribe hotel, near the BINUH office. There, they sent a pointed message to the international community. "Today the situation we are living in is revolting," Gedeon Jean, a lawyer and human rights activist,said, referring to indiscriminate kidnappings of people from all sectors of society. "We are asking Mrs. La Lime to stop supporting dictatorship. The role of the international community is to guarantee human rights, contribute to the preservation of democracy, so that people can eat and sleep and not be kidnapped." Bertrand Sinal, a former member of the Chamber of Deputies, a house in Haiti'sparliament, also joined the protest. Protester holds sign that says « Mrs La Lime, Ambassador Sison stop supporting dictator. (VOA/Matiado Vilme) "I'm not walking as a politician I'm walking as a citizen activist and we want to tell Mrs. La Lime that since she can't count, today she must say today there were three million people protesting, not 3,000, she must have made a mistake," Sinal said. There were no police interventions duringthemarch, according to VOA Creole reporters on the scene. Police accompanied protesters as they marched throughoutthe capital. Butin the neighborhood ofCanape Vert, several people were injuredin the late afternoonwhena truck overturnedon the protest route. "People started running, so I rantooand I hurt my foot and hand," an eyewitness told VOA. "I heard (someone say) a car's brakes went out and while I was running to protect myself, my leg hit a motorbike and I fell." VOA also saw a burning tire blocking a road in Canape Vert.Residentswho did not wish to be identified or photographed told VOA it was their wayofprotesting the killing ofa prominent medical doctorand his child during afailedkidnapping attempt earlier on Sunday. FlorenceLisenein Port-au-Prince contributed to this report. References 1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haiti?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 2. https://twitter.com/hashtag/protest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 3. https://t.co/KyCJ9wYMF8 4. https://twitter.com/SandraDVOA/status/1366096087141011462?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 5. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haiti?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 6. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Protestant?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 7. https://twitter.com/BINUH_UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 8. https://twitter.com/USEmbassyHaiti?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 9. https://twitter.com/moisejovenel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 10. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chinese?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 11. https://t.co/AI6qCoqd8s 12. https://twitter.com/SandraDVOA/status/1366104756565999619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw .