Panama trade unionists block streets against mining contracts
Demonstrators pull down a barricade during a protest against a recently approved mining contract between the government and Canadian mining company First Quantum, outside the National Assembly in Panama City, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023
PROTESTERS blocked streets across Panama on Monday, demanding the government scrap a contract to continue copper mining in a biodiverse region.
Teaching and construction unions led calls against the contract, with environmentalists saying continued development threatens forested land and crucial groundwater just 75 miles west of the capital, in the state of Colon.
Across Panama City, peaceful protesters handed out fliers, but in some areas on the outskirts of the capital, police met protesters with tear gas.
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