Protests in Panamá
Thousands of frustrated Panamanians gather in Plaza de la Independencia down the street from our apartment. Photo by Rodrigo Garcia (@rodrigogarciastudio)
A ‘thump’ sent a crowd running on the street below our apartment. Tear gas canisters skittered across the bricks and sent up great plumes of aerosolized bromoacetone. Jessica and I watched the cloud approach and waited for it to seep under the windows. We hurried to the back bedroom once the smell met our nostrils.
We knew it was coming all day. As we walked through Casco Viejo in the morning, local handymen boarded up the plate glass windows of restaurants and shops. Presidential police, the SPI, stood on the street corners in their all-black uniforms brandishing AR15s.
What’s going on?
Panamá City ground to a halt this week as protesters, mostly peaceful, took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the government.
English news coverage is sparse: Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Reuters ran pieces this week. Aside from that, most Western news outlets are focused on the Israel-Gaza and Ukraine-Russia conflicts at the moment. Panamanian’s main focus is at home.
The Panamanian government recently renewed a contract with First Quantum Minerals, a Canadian mining company. The contract gives sweeping powers to First Quantum that many Panamanians feel will allow them to exploit the country without much in return.
The government argues that the contract is a necessary evil. The contract currently accounts for at least 3 percent of Panamá’s GDP. However, this point does not seem to hold much water for everyday citizens.
While writing this blog, I consulted with our neighbor in Casco Viejo, Margaret Garcia. As a Panamanian who grew up in the Canal Zone and Panamá, she has a unique perspective on Panamá, its history, and the protests.
“One of the reasons the contract is unconstitutional is that [First Quantam] has allowed China (30%) and South Korea (16%) to purchase shares,” she texted me.
Panamá’s constitution forbids a foreign nation from owning more than 10 percent of a government contract.
“All the ‘consultation’ that the government promised never took place,” she continued, “The second ‘revised and improved’ contract was passed and signed into law in only five days. NEVER in the history [of Panamá] has this happened.”
Panamanians see unchecked foreign influence and corruption, and they are tired of it.
“Our hope is that the elections on May 5 will be a total overturn of these knuckleheads.”
A Quick Historical Overview
To better understand why Panamanians are upset one must first know the basic history of the country.
First, the Spanish came for gold. Then, the French came to build the canal and failed. The Americans took over construction, helped overthrow the government to establish Panamá’s sovereignty, finished what the French started, and took control of the canal ‘in perpetuity’ to reward themselves for their efforts.
The canal — in Panamá’s control since 2000 — is the lifeblood of Panamá and serves as a critical economic and defensive artery in the Western Hemisphere. This potential for money and power makes Panamá a target of exploitation and corruption. For years, the United State’s influence served as an understandable source of resentment for many in Panamá.
Many citizens resent corruption within Panamá even more. Politicians have taken advantage of the country and its people since its foundation in 1903. From then on, a string of power-hungry, corrupt leaders within the country gave Panamanians good reason to be skeptical of their politicians.
The Quantum Minerals contract touches a nerve. It combines resentment for outside North American influence with disgust for corrupt politicians.
The Protests from Our Vantage
In the short term, the renewal of the contract resulted in widespread strikes and protests across the country. People from all walks of life — indigenous groups, construction workers, teachers, doctors, and more — marched to show their frustration. The march came through our neighborhood last night.
We live a block from Palacio de las Garzas, the president’s house, in Casco Viejo. Our neighborhood, which typically bustles with tourists, was empty at 4 p.m. We leaned out our window to see the SPI concentrating outside of the house, guns ready, wearing riot helmets and kevlar.
We heard the pots and pans first: a distinct clinking sound meant to imitate a miner’s pickaxe on stone. Then, we heard the voices repeating phrases over megaphones. The flow of upset citizens followed for the next thirty minutes.
Most passed through our area. Some lingered in plazas and continued chanting and dancing. It grew quiet again by six.
The march returned with renewed fervor at seven o’clock. This time the route passed directly by the Palacio de las Garzas. Within thirty minutes, canisters of tear gas skittered across the bricks. People ran screaming past our apartment.
How are we doing?
Jessica and I feel safe. Our school went fully remote this week, so we’ve been teaching from home. We venture out during the day for groceries and watch the Great British Bake Off after dinner.
There are a few violent people taking advantage of the unrest, but we plan to avoid situations where we might find those people. The protesters are mainly average concerned citizens. We know many locals who have been out on the streets calling for change. We are concerned for their safety more than our own.
Quantum Mineral is going before the Supreme Court, and — depending on the result — the protests may continue for a while. Regardless, it is remarkable to see a country coalesce for a cause.
Click to enlarge photos.
Photos by Rodrigo Garcia (@rodrigogarciastudio)