Panama remembers deaths of students in 1964

The sale of alcohol in Panama, and the playing of loud dance music was banned in Panama on Sunday, January 9, while the country recognized Martyrs Day and the death of 21 Panamanian students.

Students carrying the Panamanian flag  climbed the fence surrounding the Canal Zone on January 9 1964. A riot started after a Panamanian flag was torn during conflict between Panamanian students and Canal Zone Police officers, over the right of the Panamanian flag to be flown alongside the U.S. flag.

U.S. Army units became involved and after three days of fighting, some 21 Panamanians and four U.S. soldiers were killed.

The incident led to the renaming of the Avenue July 4, to Martyrs’ Avenue, and ultimately to the 1969 agreement that Americans would hand over the Canal at the end of the century. A memorial to the dead students stands on the Avenue, near the National Assembly.