Riot police clash with Colón demonstrators

Riot police and demonstrators clashed on Tuesday, May 10, the second day of the general strike called by the Coalition of Unity for Colón (CUCO), upon not receiving a response from the Government regarding the demands for the execution of projects, control of the price of fuel and other requests from the civil society.

The deputy of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party, Jairo Salazar, was accompanied by a group of people, dressed in white. “The Constitution that establishes that you can travel freely is being violated. We are going peacefully and you are provoking”, said the PRD deputy.

Colón woke up to a large presence of Police crowd control agents in different parts of the province. There were also road closures in Río Alejandro, Puerto Pilón and Portobelo. Nine public transport routes have paralyzed their service; Drivers of taxis and school buses have also supported the call of CUCO.

It was reported that the group is moving in a caravan from the outskirts of Colón to Cuatro Altos, where the coalition’s bastion of struggle is.

Meanwhile, the Vice Minister of Internal Trade and Industries, Omar Montilla, said that the delegation that will attend to the requests of these protesters was being defined.