On 13 and 14 March Panama’s second-largest city, Colón, saw a combination of widespread peaceful protests coupled with violent clashes. Four police officers were wounded, 45 people were arrested, and Casa Wilcox, a dilapidated historic building in the city centre, was set alight. The paradox is that the renovation of Colón’s old city centre was a key election pledge back in 2014 when President Juan Carlos Varela took office; the government says it is spending nearly US$1.2bn on various projects to revive the city. Here we look at why local residents are still angry.End of preview - This article contains approximately 870 words.
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