Haitian President’s giant jug sip and spill at UN speech triggers storm on internet
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Haitian President Edgard Leblanc Fils became the unexpected star of the internet after a silly mishap during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
While trying to make a sincere call for countries to come together and support a peacekeeping effort for his country, the president tried to take a drink from a huge water jug —but ended up spilling it everywhere. The moment captured on video, quickly went viral, triggering a wave of cruel memes online.
Haiti’s transitional president made a passionate call for "global solidarity" during his address at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. He also supported the Biden team's push for a formal UN peacekeeping mission to tackle the big problems in his country, like gang violence resulting in mass migration and more.
However during the session, while he was answering a question, he decided to grab the whole jug of water to drink from instead of pouring it into a glass. This led to him spilling water all over his hands and clothes before he quickly put the jug down. While a simple human slip-up, the incident became meme fodder for amused netizens.
'Thirsty Haitian drinks straight out of a water pitcher during his UN General Assembly speech," one social media user remarked, taking a brutal swipe. "Don't they have cups in Haiti?" another chimed in. "Never in my life have I seen someone try to drink directly from a tall water pitcher... until now," a third commented. "Can you please give this man a towel? He just washed his face," added another.
However, a few came to the leader's defense, saying, "Awkward for him, but what's the problem if it’s reserved for him? I often drink from a gallon water jug throughout the day. Someone was probably messing with him and didn’t deliver glasses." Another added, "Stop with those jokes, it's brutal and bad, come on.”
Haitian officials addressed the controversial remarks made by Donald Trump regarding Haitian immigrants allegedly eating pets, such as cats and dogs, in Springfield, Ohio. They voiced their worries that these statements could lead to serious consequences for Haitians living in the US and around the world. Trump's comments, which gained massive attention and trended globally for days, came during a presidential debate on September 10 with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and have since drawn widespread criticism and concern.
“I would like to extend a brotherly greeting to all friends of Haiti that have shown solidarity towards the migrants from our country — and in particular those living in Springfield, Ohio,” the Haitian president added in his statement during the speech.
Haitian leader demands reparations while seeking global aid
Edgard Leblanc Fils, the leader of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, said that since it's the first Black country to stand on its own, Haiti is really struggling because of deep-rooted injustices from the past that have stopped its growth and put a lot of pressure on its citizens. “We demand recognition of the moral and historic debt and the implementation of justice,” he declared according to the Miami Herald. He recognized the issues that have come up with past U.N. peacekeeping efforts, like claims of sexual abuse and the spread of cholera after the 2010 earthquake.
Edgard Leblanc Fils highlighted the ongoing crisis in Haiti, which has been described by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a major humanitarian disaster. He criticised the escalating gang violence and the mistreatment of children in the country, emphasizing that these issues constitute severe violations of human rights.