Colon condemns Varela innaction

Hundreds of citizens, many dressed in black marched from various start points in Colon to converge on the center of the city on Thursday, April 19 during the second province-wide strike called by the Struggle for Salvation of Colon Committee to protest government inaction in dealing with local problems.

Participants  chanted anti-government slogans carried banners denouncing Juan Carlos Varela as “the worst president ever” and “the city defends itself”

Many parents followed the call of teachers who support the protest and decided not to send their children to classes and most of the educational centers were empty reports La Prensa.

Minister of the Presidency, Álvaro Alemán, has said that the government is open to dialogue “without pressure or threats from sectors that seek confrontation”.

But the organizers  say that the strike is due to the lack of follow through by the government in meetings in which the Catholic Church has acted as a mediator after riots during a previous strike on March 13

Campaign leader Edgardo Voitier said they are protesting the lack of will of the government to solve the social problems of the province.

President Varela who has been involved in a series of trips abroad has distanced himself from the debate, after campaign promises to level the playing field for citizens of the province.

Sectors such as the Chamber of Commerce,  do not support the general strike, although they consider the struggle valid.