The old man fired at the protestors after being fed up with the traffic jam. Photo: Collected A group of protesters were protesting by throwing tree trunks on the road and blocking traffic. As a result, huge traffic jams are created on the roads. An old man’s patience broke while stuck in it. At one stage he got down from the car and asked the protesters to clear the road first. But as they did not agree, Regamege started shooting at them. At least two protesters lost their lives. This incident happened recently in the Central American country of Panama.
According to CNN, a group of anti-mining protesters blocked the Pan American Highway about 50 miles south of the Panamanian capital last Tuesday (November 7).
In a video posted on social media platform X, an elderly man can be seen pressuring protesters to remove tree trunks from the road. He was clearly frustrated by the traffic. At some point in the argument, the man pulled out a pistol and fired.
Panama’s National Police said they arrested the suspected gunman at the scene.
Panama has seen its biggest protests in recent weeks since anti-dictatorship protests in the 1980s. Thousands of people across the country have taken to the streets to protest the controversial mining deal against the government.
Recently, the government of Panama granted permission to a local subsidiary of Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals to mine copper.
Under the agreement, the Canadian company will extract copper from a forested mine for the next 20 years, with the possibility of another 20-year extension. In return, the Panamanian government will receive 375 million dollars per year.
But environmentalists say the mine will destroy at least 32,000 acres of land and contaminate drinking water in the area.
The Panamanian government, however, says the mine will employ thousands of people and generate much-needed revenue.
However, it did not melt the minds of the opponents. They are protesting to cancel the agreement.
