Panama: Angry protesters burned like Donald Trump – “The Canal is ours”

Protesters celebrated the anniversary of the 1964 uprising against American rule in the canal and burned its likeness. Donald Trump has provoked Panama’s anger after recent statements that he could attach the canal, without excluding the use of force to this end. CORVERSE More than 20 Panamans, mostly students, were killed during the January 1964 conflict in Panama and escalated when American security forces opened fire on protesters expressing their opposition to US canal control. At least three American soldiers were also killed during the riots. The “Day of the Witnesses” is commemorated every year on January 9. It is believed to have paved the way for the transfer of control of the canal to Panama in late 1999. It also keeps the memory of the past unquenchable, at a time of increased intensity due to Trump’s inflammatory statements. “Today we remember the sacrifice of our witnesses, but we also perpetuate throughout the world that Panama is a sovereign country and the canal is ours,” said Sebastian Kiros, an 84-year-old pensioner who participated as a student in the 1964 uprising. CORVERSE “The blood spilled will never be forgotten” and “Hands off Panama” were some of the slogans the protesters shouted along the way to the fallen monument. Earlier, President José Raul Molino deposited a wreath at the monument. “The only hands that control the canal are Panamamese and will continue to be,” Foreign Minister Javier Martinez stressed- Acha, talking Tuesday to reporters. Ivan Quintero, a 59-year-old university member who participated in the demonstration, harshly criticized the elected president of the US, saying that he “should learn to show respect” rather than unleash threats against Panama’s national sovereignty.