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Haiti: Security scare as Martelly attacked while walking
Martelly left the National Palace about an hour later and proceeded by foot under a heavy police presence, before returning to the presidential residence.
The episode led to clashes between students and Martelly supporters, who tore down a fence and entered the school grounds. Students said the president’s backers smashed windows of cars that were parked in the courtyard of the university.
“The people with the president, they came inside and started throwing stones at the students,” said sociology student Frantz Legros, 22. “They came to the front to beat the students.”
Another man, Pythagone Dumais, showed reporters a bloody hand and said he was attacked by a Martelly supporter. He said the attacker grabbed a beer bottle from him, smashed it and slashed his hand.
The Haitian Red Cross sent a bus to safely evacuate about a dozen university students from Canada, France and Brazil. They were attending a conference with Haitian students.
Haitian police spokesman Gary Desrosiers said he couldn’t comment.
Government prosecutor Jean-Renel Senatus showed up at the university Friday evening to begin an investigation as he looked at the damaged vehicles but declined to comment.
