Panama City Panama Construction Worker Riots

February 13th Street Protests Lead to Arrests.

Panama- Construction Workers Protest (Photo Courtesy of BBC News)
Beginning in the early morning hours of February the 13th, thousands of construction workers from Panama City to Colon protested in the streets.

Workers flooded the main arteries leading in and out of the city protesting the death of union leader Al Iromi Emoir Smith. They managed to block off twenty four points around Costa del Este, Corredor Sur, Atlapa, the Amador Causeway, Avenida Balboa, Via Espana, Via Transismica, and the Universidad de Panama.

In the Chriqui province, workers managed to close down part of the InterAmerican Highway.

Protests were televised periodically through out the day and traffic was at a standstill as roads were blocked with trees, cement blocks and human barricades. Footage shifted between streets where reporters stood live documenting the mayhem.

Police gassed into the crowd after much destruction was caused on Avenida Balboa, where the glass of bus stops was broken and many billboards destroyed. Workers threw stones and other construction materials at the police vehicles. Police responded by arresting approximately 300 workers country-wide.

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