A disturbing video purportedly depicting an act of cannibalism in Haiti re-emerged as the tenuous hold of the rule of law has given way to roving gangs.
The footage circulating on social media, which is now mostly censored or deleted, purportedly showed a Haitian individual casually tearing the flesh off of what appears to be a charred human leg and consuming it. However, according to Times Now, the video is two years old.
Violent gangs have taken over the streets in Port-au-Prince, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The gangs are purportedly headed by Jimmy Chérizier, a 47-year-old former police officer nicknamed “Barbecue.” Chérizier allegedly earned the nickname because of his reported propensity for setting his victims on fire.
Though many expressed bewilderment in addition to revulsion at the video, which has since been confirmed as two years old, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele responded to one post of the alleged act of cannibalism, confirming that such behavior is not uncommon when violent gangs are given free rein.
“We saw similar images in El Salvador a few years ago. Gangs bathing with the skulls of their victims. All the ‘experts’ said they couldn’t be defeated because they were an ‘intrinsic part of our society,'” Bukele posted on X, describing his country prior to his declaration of a prolonged state of emergency in 2022. “They were wrong. We obliterated them. The same must be done in Haiti.”
Officials in El Salvador claim that murders dropped by roughly 70% in 2023. Under the state of emergency, suspected gang members are not afforded a right to an attorney and can be placed in detention without court approval, Reuters reported.
Still, others on social media following the tense developments in Haiti claim Chérizier is being scapegoated.
“Why are we seeing a sudden disinformation campaign portraying Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier as a cannibal?” posted journalist and filmmaker Dan Cohen.
“Watch how he treks through the slums of Haiti to ignite revolutionary consciousness among the masses, and you’ll understand,” claimed Cohen, referencing a documentary he directed about Chérizier.
“Cherizier is trying to turn Haiti into a productive and prosperous country that benefits the whole population, the complete opposite of the dystopia that U.S. imperialism has created. The man they’re smearing as a savage is leading a revolution,” Cohen wrote.
