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Anti-Haitian sentiment (Spanish:Antihaitianismo;French:Antihaitienisme) isprejudice or socialdiscrimination againstHaitians in the Dominican Republic.
Anti-Haitian sentiment includes prejudice against, hatred of, or discrimination againstHaitians due to their physical appearance,culture, lifestyle, andlanguage.[1][2]
Human Rights Watch has stated in their reports that the differences betweenHaitians andDominicans can be based on colonial times from linguistic, cultural, and racial differences. For instance, theDominican Republic was governed by the Spanish, and thus acquired part of their culture from theSpanish, mixed withAfricans andNative Americans.Haiti, on the other hand, was governed by the French, and its culture is a mixture ofFrench, African and Native American. The majority of Haiti's population is descended almost entirely fromAfrican slaves, while Dominicans possess amultiracial mix of Spanish, African and Indigenous ancestry. It is evident that historical background is related between the two countries, however, there are major cultural divisions.
Anti-Haitian sentiment can be traced back to a policy ofracial segregation instituted by theSpaniards in theCaptaincy General of Santo Domingo (present-dayDominican Republic).[3] Prior to the arrival of Europeans,the island was split into absolutistchiefdoms, three where modern-daySanto Domingo now exists, and two where modern-dayHaiti now exists (albeit also including some territory which is currently part ofSanto Domingo).Carib people from islands further south were often at war with theTaíno people.Columbus reached the island in 1492 (slaves imported fromAfrica arrived from 1503 onwards—many natives were also soon enslaved), and within a few decades the Spanish controlled most of the island. During the 17th century, however, the French also began maneuvering for control, and in 1697acquired the western portion (now part of Haiti—whereas the Spanish portion encompassed the modern Dominican Republic). Finally, in 1795, with thePeace of Basel Spain ceded the eastern two thirds of the island in exchange for Gipuzkoa. However,French control would not last after theHaitian Revolution and theSpanish reconquest of Santo Domingo. In 1821, theRepublic of Spanish Haiti would proclaim its independence to be shortly afterwards be taken by thewestern Haitian forces from 1822 to 1844. In 1844 the secret revolutionary movement called "La Trinitaria" took place and the Dominican Republic declared its independence defeating the Haitian forces. After several tumultuous decades, the Spanishbriefly acquired nominal control of theDominican Republic in the 1860s, setting off another war. By the late 19th century, over three hundred years of European control was ended; the modern history ofwest Hispaniola (Haiti) andeast Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) had begun.
Anti-Haitian sentiment was strongly institutionalized during the regime ofRafael Leónidas Trujillo. Border disputes under Trujillo culminated in the order of a military intervention and to massacre Haitians accused of practicingvodou orwitchery, practices that were against the popularRoman Catholic beliefs in the Dominican Republic at the time. Claims range "from several hundred to 26,000"[4][self-published source] or even "recorded as having a death toll reaching 30,000"[5] in October 1937, an event subsequently named theParsley Massacre. The genocide sought to be justified on the pretext of fearing infiltration, but was actually also a retaliation, commented on both in national currencies, as well as having been informed by the Military Intelligence Service (the dreaded SIM), the government Haitian cooperating with a plan that sought to overthrow Dominican exiles.[citation needed] The Army killed about 10,000 to 15,000 Haitians over six days, from the night of 2 October 1937, to 8 October 1937. To avoid leaving evidence of the Army's involvement, the soldiers usedmachetes instead of bullets. The soldiers of Trujillo interrogated anyone with dark skin, using theshibboleth "parsley" to differentiate Afro-Haitians from Afro-Dominicans when necessary, the "r" of parsley was difficult pronunciation for Haitians. During later diplomacy, Trujillo agreed to pay hundreds of thousands in reparations,[4] but somewhat less was actually delivered. Due to corrupt Haitian bureaucrats, exceedingly little[6] reached the families. Dominican intellectualsManuel Arturo Peña Batlle,Joaquín Balaguer,Manuel de Jesús Troncoso de la Concha, among others, led the campaign.[7][8]
The 1937 massacre legitimized subsequent state acts of violence against the Haitian-origin population in theDominican Republic. Each successive government since has forcibly removed thousands of Haitians and Haitian-Dominicans in routine round-ups and expulsions by the military.[9]
Trujillo's policies served to perpetuate anti-Haitian sentiment within theDominican Republic.[4] In the 1996 Dominican presidential election,Joaquín Balaguer (historical leader of thepopulist right and former right-hand of dictatorTrujillo) united in a "National Patriotic Front" with PLD candidateLeonel Fernández in order to preventJosé Francisco Peña Gómez, who was adopted as an infant by a Dominican family but born to Haitian parents, from becoming President.[10][11]
Segregation in countries by type (in some countries, categories overlap) | |
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