Radical Unions Met By Pro Government "Counter March"

Yesterday, 19 August 2010, there was a "counter march" held on Calle 50, which placed supporters of Ricardo Martinelli's Cambio Democratico political party against another protest march organized by radical union leaders and student groups. Guillermo Puga, the Secretary General of the Confederation of Workers of the Republic of Panama (CTRP), said this morning that this kind of fighting tarnishes peaceful activities. He said "everyone has the right to protest, but how is it possible that they organized another protest march, in the same place and time that we were protesting," Puga said on TVN News, who said their protest had been previously announced.

They organized their rally to request, before the Ombudsman, medical care for those who were wounded in the past riots in Bocas del Toro against Law 30. In addition, Puga said, they wanted to remind the government that they should repeal Law 30, also known as the "law chorizo" or "9 in 1".

However, they protest was met by another group of supporters from the Cambio Democratico political party who showed up at the same place, to ask for an investigation into those responsible for the "false allegations" against the government of the disappearance of Valentin Palacio.

'In the style of Venezuela' - For its part, Mariano Mena, head of the National Council of Organized Workers, went further and said "counter marches" is a practice that was used during the years of the military dictatorship in Panama. And, even worse, this is what is currently being done in Venezuela, he added. "This is what happens in Venezuela: When opponents of President Hugo Chavez take to the streets, Chavez supporters will come out to hold a "counter march,"" Mena said on TVN. If anything regrettable had occurred, Mena said, "the primarily responsible" entity would have been the national government - because, he said - in this "counter march" there were government functionaries. (La Prensa)