Pro Haitian group heckles Dominican leader at UN conference

Santo Domingo.- A group of women on Tuesday heckled president Danilo Medina during his speech to open the UN’s 12th Latin America and Caribbean Regional Conference on Women, being held in the Dominican capital.

Once Medina stood to start his speech, some 20, mostly foreign women wielding pickets began yelling “We are all Haiti."

But the hecklers faced the immediate rebuke from other women present, including journalist Consuelo Despradel, who responded: "And we are Dominican." They also demanded silence from the pro Haitian group, and respect for Medina.

The incident prompted Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) secretary Alicia Bárcena, to take a microphone and ask the protesters to allow the President to speak.

The heckling also led to the immediate response by Medina’s security detail that approached the podium, but stood down after a whisper from the chief executive.

After around three minutes calm returned and Medina concluded his speech.