More than 480 people were arrested in Panama during violent protests against a Social Security reform project. There were clashes between the police and protesters resulting in at least 16 injuries.
The director of the National Police of Panama, Jaime Fernández, reported that the violence caused damages estimated at 267,000 dollars to the police and their resources, with more than 480 people in custody. There was an unprecedented escalation of violence, with 16 police units being injured, two of them hit by objects thrown by protesters from the top of a construction tower.
The Unified Union of Construction Workers and Similar blocked major roads in Panama City in rejection of the reform of the Social Security Fund under discussion in the Legislative. Student protests were reported at the University of Panama, which suspended classes for the day.
The President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, described the use of a construction hospital as a shield by the protesters as intolerable and called for an investigation by the Prosecutor's Office. The leader of the Suntracs union claimed that the protest was peaceful and lamented the repression of the demonstration in the hospital area.
Parliament discussed two bills on Social Security, one already approved and another in process. The measures aim to strengthen the entity in the face of a prolonged administrative and financial crisis. The proposal has generated controversy in Panama and provoked protests and public debate in recent months.
