Protest

Suntracs closes Colón street

Protestors disbanded peacefully after less than an hour, but vowed to engage in future actions.

A. RACERO/LA PRENSA

Shut down: The area of Cuatro Altos in Colón was closed to traffic by protestors yesterday.967701

Members of the Sindicato de la Construcción y Similares (Suntracs) blocked streets in the city of Colón yesterday to protest the rising cost of food and the decision to move the Día de los Martires holiday from Wednesday to Monday.

The group started its protest at 7:30 a.m. They closed the street at the entrance of Cuatro Altos for about an hour before dispersing.

"Suntracs will not allow the current government to end this country," said Suntracs leader David Niño.

Police armed with riot gear were called to the scene, but did not engage the protestors. Niño said that while the group disbanded peacefully yesterday, future protests may not end so quickly.

Police representative Javier Castillo said that removing the protestors by force is the department's last resort.

"We understand that these type of activities will become more common because of the approaching election," Castillo said.

Many groups have criticized the government for moving the holiday because it is supposed to be a national day of mourning, and not a chance for people to relax.

The government changed the date to make the holiday fall on a Monday so that people could take advantage of the three-day weekend. These so called bridge days spur a large amount of traffic to the interior, helping the economies of rural areas as people visit them from Panama City.