Protesters in Panama burned a US flag in protest against the words of US President-elect Donald Trump about his desire to regain control of the Panama Canal if the current conditions for its use are not reviewed.
The video was published by the United National Union of Construction Workers on Instagram.
"We want to take this opportunity to express our categorical rejection of the US statements regarding the intention to retake our canal. "We ask the government to act more decisively," said one of the protest organizers.
The demonstration was called to express disagreement with the social policies of the Panamanian government, but participants also took the opportunity to condemn Trump's statements. Video footage showed protesters burning an American flag and a portrait of the US president-elect.
On Sunday, Trump said in a post on the social network Truth Social that the United States could demand the return of control of the Panama Canal if the current conditions for its use are not revised. He criticized the high tariffs for using the canal, stressed that the transfer of control of the canal in 1999 was a "gesture of cooperation", not a concession to other countries, and called on the Panamanian authorities to reconsider their policy. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has stated that sovereignty over the canal and the country's independence are non-negotiable.
The Panama Canal, officially opened in 1920, was built by and under the control of the United States. In 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaty determined the gradual transfer of the canal to Panama, which was finally completed in 1999. This agreement provided for the neutrality of the canal and its accessibility to world trade. Today, the canal remains the most important route for the world economy and is one of the key objects of interest to the United States.