[News] Voodooists In Haiti Attacked At Ceremony (PHOTOS)

Angry crowds in a seaside slum attacked a group of Voodoo practitioners Tuesday, pelting them with rocks and halting a ceremony meant to honor victims of last month’s deadly earthquake.

Voodooists gathered in Cite Soleil where thousands of quake survivors live in tents and depend on food aid. Praying and singing, the group was trying to conjure spirits to guide lost souls when a crowd of Evangelicals started shouting. Some threw rocks while others urinated on Voodoo symbols. When police left, the crowd destroyed the altars and Voodoo offerings of food and rum.

“We were here preparing for prayer when these others came and took over,” said Sante Joseph, an Evangelical worshipper in Cite Soleil, near the capital’s port, who joined the angry crowd in a concrete outdoor civic center.

[Story x Photos Courtesy of GlobalGrind.com]

My two cents: While I am by NO means a fan of Voodoo or its practices, I am an advocate for religious tolerance. I am very disappointed at the Haitian people using such a violent display of intolerance in a time when unity is so important. As a Haitian-American and a person whose family has practiced Voodoo in the past, this saddens me. The practitioners shown were having a memorial service, what exactly was the harm? 

Check out the COMPLETE story HERE.