All of Panama has been shaken since March by large mobilizations, strikes, and protests that continue unabated. In recent days, protests have intensified in provinces like Bocas del Toro in the northern Caribbean, to the south in the province of Darién, and especially in the region of Indigenous communities like Arimae. But the outbreak in the banana-growing region of Bocas del Toro has taken on a new dimension, with highways blocked by protests against President José Raúl Mulino’s policies and where a massive military operation called “Operation Omega” has been underway since June 13.

On Friday, June 20, the Mulino government, unable to contain the ongoing rebellion, declared a state of siege in the province of Bocas del Toro, suspending all constitutional guarantees and individual rights. This is based on Article 55 of the Panamanian Constitution, which declares a state of siege “in the event of foreign war or internal disturbance,” known as a “State of Emergency.” This opens the door to the probable use of the military and other measures of political, repressive, and territorial control, violating the most basic human rights and curtailing any right to protest.

The intensity of the struggle in these regions is also due to the fact that they are entire areas neglected for decades by the state, where a deeper rage lies. In Bocas del Toro, the 2010 rebellion is still fresh, with the memory of the military-police interventions that left dozens of people, mostly Indigenous, blinded and crippled for life by pellet gunfire. 

Mulino was Minister of Security at that time and played a role in repressing the entire population, including murders. This was under the repressive government of Ricardo Martinelli, who was known for his harsh pro-IMF measures. Now, Mulino is extending his history of bloody repression of Panamanian workers and peoples, by unleashing his wrath on an entire population.

Police and Military Repress the Growing Popular Support

The recent strikes and protests in Panama erupted after President Mulino, through the National Assembly, passed Law 462, which raises the retirement age and transfers funds from the Social Security Fund (CSS) to private banks and pension fund administrators. Mulino intends to reopen the Donoso mine despite the Supreme Court’s declaration of unconstitutionality in October 2023. He also plans to create reservoirs in the Rio Indio (between the provinces of Panama, Colón, and Coclé), displacing thousands of families in the area. He is also pursuing agreements with the United States over the Panama Canal and the establishment of military bases. These plans deepen poverty, hunger, and misery, as well as the subservience of the Panamanian people to U.S. imperial interests.

In Bocas del Toro, following intense strikes, the banana company Chiquita Panama closed operations and laid off all its workers. This constituted the height of the attack by the U.S.-based transnational corporation, igniting a new rebellion in the province, with blockades. In response, the government deployed nearly two thousand police officers and riot squads to the area under Operation Omega. To date, this operation has resulted in 55 arrests and the death of one worker near a police checkpoint.

By early May, the protests and strikes in Bocas del Toro, led by the Banana Workers Union and other trade union organizations, had strengthened significantly. Now, it’s not just unions erecting blockades — it’s entire families, with public support. The province has been completely paralyzed. 

On Thursday, June 19, there was a prolonged standoff with military forces from the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) and Naval Air Force agents at the Changuinola Bridge. Protesters pushed back the repressive forces, forcing them to flee toward the soccer stadium, where they were surrounded. This situation led the governor of Bocas del Toro, Marcela Madrid, to suspend the workday this Friday, June 20.

Panama’s Deputy Minister of Security, Luis Felipe Icaza, himself stated that they have not been able to contain the rebellion that has erupted. In a press conference last Thursday, he presented the results of the sixth day of Operation Omega, stating that they had made great progress. This is a way of confirming that they are unable to control the people’s rebellion. Early last Friday morning, the Ministry of the Presidency issued a statement warning that the situation “has escalated dangerously in recent hours.”

Mulino Wants to Impose the IMF’s Plans and Force Panama’s Submission

The protests in Panama are of central importance in the current political moment, not only for the country itself but for other nations in the region. The right-wing Mulino government’s offensive, with new attacks on the living conditions of Panamanian working people, is furthering Donald Trump’s policy of advancing against Panama’s sovereignty by seeking to seize control of the Canal and establish new military bases in the country.

That’s why Mulino’s response has been brutal — it’s the only way to impose these pro-IMF and sellout plans. 

The police and military repression is not limited to Bocas del Toro. In Ngöbe Buglé, massive repression has been carried out against the Indigenous community by police officers with military training in Israel and Colombia. These practices include ignoring the right to territorial autonomy, with police forces entering residents’ homes, firing tear gas, and brutally repressing them. The same occurred in Arimae where the deployment of SENAFRONT and the National Police have generated a climate of terror that has forced entire families to take refuge in the mountains.

International Solidarity with the Working People of Panama

At this point, and after months of struggle, Panama needs a general strike against the austerity plans, the repressive measures, and all of the government’s anti-worker laws. 

Down with Law 462 and other anti-worker laws, no to mining exploitation, no to the surrender of the Panama Canal, no to Yankee imperialism in Panama. No more repression of workers, labor organizations, unions, popular organizations, and Indigenous peoples of Panama. We must demand the immediate release of all those detained, and no more persecution for workers fighting back.

The struggles waged by workers, Indigenous peoples, peasants, educators, healthcare workers, and the people of Panama against the Mulino government’s anti-worker offensive must be surrounded by the broadest international solidarity. It is urgent to call on unions, grassroots organizations, Indigenous organizations, social movements, and youth in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to convene days of internationalist working-class solidarity with the workers of Panama. Defeating the policies of the pro-imperialist president Mulino is essential at this time to redouble the struggle and go further to strike a decisive blow to imperialism.

Originally Published in Spanish in La Izquierda Diario on June 20.