Protesters in Panama have protested against US President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US government could retake control of the Panama Canal.
Trump complained about what he called “exorbitant” shipping fees, demanding that the canal be “returned” to US control if they are not reduced.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Panama, chanting slogans such as “Trump, you animal, leave the canal alone” and carrying banners reading “Donald Trump, public enemy of Panama”.
The United States largely built the Panama Canal and operated the territory for decades before transferring full control to Panama in 1999.
“Panama is a sovereign territory and the canal here is Panamanian,” said Saul Mendez, leader of a construction union that co-organised the protest, according to the French news agency AFP.
“Donald Trump and his imperial delusion cannot claim one inch of land in Panama,” Mendez added.
The protest comes a day after President Jose Raul Mulino said that “every square meter” of the canal belongs to Panama and that its status is “non-negotiable.”
Also on Tuesday, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), a group of ten Central and South American countries, condemned Trump’s comments and reaffirmed its support for “the sovereignty, territorial integrity and self-determination of Panama.”
Panama is not a member of the bloc, which is based in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
