While a Panamanian response to the flag raisings by the Zonians was expected, the crisis took most Americans by surprise. The final death toll was 28 people. A rival communist commemoration on the same day drew only 300 participants. Most Zonian adults sympathized with the student demonstrators. Years after the events of January 1964, a number of U.S. Army historical documents were declassified, including Southcom's figures for ammunition expended. It is Martyrs' Day ( This week marks the anniversary of riots in Panama that led to the (Jan 09, 2021) Jan. 9 is now known as Martyrs' Day — a national holiday when the people of Panama remember those who died, 50 years ago this week. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. After Panama gained independence from Colombia in 1903, with the assistance of the U.S., there was resentment amongst some Panamanians as a result of the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which ceded control of the Panama Canal Zone to the U.S. "in perpetuity" in exchange for a 10 million dollar initial payment and yearly 250 thousand dollar payments thereafter. The Panamanians were driven back by the Zonian civilians and police. The role played by the Panamanian ambassador to the United Nations, Miguel Moreno is also worth mentioning. For these actions, President Chiari is regarded as "the president of dignity". One of the Panamanian flag bearers, Eligio Carranza, said that "they started shoving us and trying to wrest the flag from us, all the while insulting us. The next morning, the bodies of six Panamanians were found in the wreckage. The Canal Zone, primarily consisting of the Panama Canal, was a strip of land running from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean and had its own police, post offices, courts, television and radio stations… In 1903, Colombia and Panama disagreed on whether the U.S. should be allowed to build a canal across Panama. Flag in defiance of the rules. Santo Tomas Hospital reported that it had treated 324 injuries and recorded 18 deaths from the fighting. Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian day of national mourning which commemorates the January 9, 1964 anti-American riots over sovereignty of the Panama … The same account said that the Canal Zone police fired 1,850 .38 caliber pistol bullets and 600 shotgun shells in the fighting, while using only 132 tear gas grenades. After Panama gained independence from Colombia in 1903 with the assistance of the U.S., there was much resentment amongst Panamanians as a result of the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which ceded control of the Panama Canal Zoneto the U.S. "in perpetuity" in exchange for large initial and yearly payments. Unlike in Panama City, Panamanian authorities in Colón had made early attempts to separate the combatants. To placate the protestors, in 1964, U.S. President John F. Kennedy agreed that the Panamanian flag would be allowed to be flown beside the U.S. flag on all non-military locations in the Canal Zone. Martyrs' Day marks the anniversary of the riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone on this day in 1964. He became the first of Panama's "martyrs," as those who fell on January 9, 1964, and the following few days were to become known. Kennedy was assassinated before his orders became law and subsequent changes meant that instead of flying both flags, all flags would be removed. The day is marked by a march retracing the steps of the original student protestors. The witnesses appear to be corroborated by a photograph of Arosemena supporting an injured man, said to have been taken shortly before he was shot. The riot started after a Panamanian flag was torn during conflict between Panamanian students and Canal Zone Police officers, over the right of the Panamanian flag to be flown alongside the U.S. flag. Some of the more seriously injured were left with severe permanent brain damage or paralyzing spinal injuries from their bullet wounds. The opinion of most Panamanians, and most Latin Americans generally, about the fence in question was expressed a few days later by Colombia's ambassador to the Organization of American States: "In Panama there exists today another Berlin Wall.". After the first U.S. flag to be raised at Balboa High School (a public high school in the Canal Zone) was taken down by school officials, the students walked out of class, raised another flag, and posted guards to prevent its removal. The shooting led to the deaths of 21 Panamanians and four Americans. Ascanio Arosemena, a 19-year-old student, was shot from behind, through the shoulder and thorax. Martyrs' Day is an annual day observed by nations to salute the martyrdom of soldiers who lost Martyrs' Day (Panama), is a Panamanian holiday which commemorates the January 9, 1964 riots over Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. With the support of the U.S., Panama broke away from Colombia on November 3rd 1903. Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian day of national mourning which commemorates the January 9, For him and many others, the U.S.-Panama relationship was at its peak. Significantly, other governments in the western hemisphere which had long backed U.S. policies declined to back the American position. Also, the army claims to have used 340 pounds of bulk CN-1 chemical (weak tear gas) and 120 pounds of CS-1 chemical (strong tear gas). The OAS in turn put the matter before its Inter-American Peace Committee. Various Panamanian versions blame all Panamanian deaths on U.S. forces, though those who died in the Pan American Airlines building fire can not reasonably be said to have died at the hands of American forces. Martyrs' Day is an annual day observed by nations to salute the martyrdom of soldiers who lost Martyrs' Day (Panama), is a Panamanian holiday which commemorates the January 9, 1964 riots over Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Martyrs' Day (Panama), is a Panamanian holiday which commemorates the January 9, 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone. Martyrs' Day (Panama), is a Panamanian holiday which commemorates the January 9, 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Implications for travel & activities Hi I understand that 9 January is a called Martyrs' Day in Panama and is a public holiday, which falls within the few days that I will be in This holiday is a specific Panamanian holiday. The exploding situation caught up with the Governor while he was still en en.wikipedia.org From the other end of the ideological spectrum, Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's right-wing Falangist Party accused the United States of aggression against Panama. Those who died on the American side include Staff Sergeant Luis Jimenez Cruz, Private David Haupt and First Sergeant Gerald Aubin who were all killed by sniper fire on the 9th and 10th in Colon and Specialist Michael W. Rowland, whose death was caused by an accidental fall into a ravine on the evening of the 10th. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. One of the most famous photographs of what Panamanians know as Martyrs' Day shows two demonstrators, one bearing a Panamanian flag, climbing over Fence of Shame at Ancon. Ariana Ramírez | Tue, 01/09/2018 - 15:41: The protocolary events included the celebration of a Mass in La Merced church and a visit to the tomb of President Roberto Francisco Chiari, Panamanian president in 1964. The official account has it that the U.S. Army fired 450 .30 caliber rifle rounds, five .45 caliber pistol bullets, 953 shells of birdshot and 7,193 grenades or projectiles containing tear gas. The Zonians started flying the U.S. However, scuffles broke out and the flag was torn. For other holidays with the same name, see Martyrs Day (disambiguation). It is also known as the Flag Incident or Flag Protests. Panama City's Social Security Hospital treated at least 16 others who were wounded on the first night of the fighting. A good indication of the relative communist strength came two weeks after the confrontations, when the Catholic Church sponsored a memorial rally for the fallen, which was attended by some 40,000 people. Two monuments have been built in Panama City to commemorate these events. By continuing to use our site you are giving your consent for us to use cookies. The incomplete censorship had the side effect of contributing to wild rumors on all sides. [5], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}8°57′33″N 79°33′26″W / 8.95917°N 79.55722°W / 8.95917; -79.55722, For other holidays with the same name, see, Flag demonstrations on the boundary between Panama and the Canal Zone, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Flag Demonstration on the boundary between Panama and the Canal Zone", The 'Day of the martyrs' - January 9, 1964, Dean Rusk interview: Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library (see page 37), Study by Uwe Heinrich Documents the chemistry of CS and its effects on the body. The area around the canal remained U.S. territory until 1979 and final U.S. involvement ceased on December 31st 1999. In addition, the United States Government purchased title to all the lands in the Canal Zone from the private owners. The date, May 6, was selected to commemorate the 21 Arab intellectuals who were hanged on that date in 1916 in Beirut, Lebanon, and Damascus, Syria, by an official of the occupying Ottoman Empire. Some reporters alleged one giant communist plot, with Christian Democrats, Socialists, student government leaders and a host of others controlled by the hand of Fidel Castro. This incident is considered to be the catalyst for the eventual U.S. abolition of the "in perpetuity" control of the Canal Zone and divestiture of its title to property there, with the 1977 signing of the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, which dissolved the Canal Zone in 1979, set a timetable for the closing of U.S. Armed Forces Bases and transferred full control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian Government at noon, December 31, 1999. March 09, 2006, Why Today Is an Anti-American Holiday in Panama, University of Florida Digital Collections: Panama and the Canal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martyrs%27_Day_(Panama)&oldid=979452038, Articles needing additional references from June 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Articles with dead external links from March 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 September 2020, at 21:18. Panama came under Spanish control with the arrival of settlers in the 16th century. None of these accounts have been definitively proven. This angered the inhabitants of the Canal Zone, known as Zonians, who saw this as a sign that the U.S. might leave the area. One popular but inaccurate Zonian rumor, fueled in part by references to the "American Canal Zone" in U.S. news media, that the Panama Canal Zone had been renamed "United States Canal Zone" and would henceforth be an outright possession of the United States. Survivors mark Martyrs' Day. A half-dozen Panamanian students, carrying their flag, approached the flagpole. Scuffling broke out. The incident is seen as a key event that eventually led to the U.S. renouncing their control of the Canal Zone. News and rumor instantly traveled the 49 miles from Panama's south coast to its north coast. The President of Panama at the time, Roberto Chiari, broke diplomatic relations with the United States on January 10. Fuelled by wild rumours on both sides, the situation escalated into violence with shots being fired. The National Guard stayed absent. The British and French governments, who had been criticized by U.S. administrations for their foreign policy and handling of their various colonies, accused the U.S. of hypocrisy and argued that their Zonian citizens were as obnoxious as any other group of colonial settlers. This national holiday in Panama is always celebrated on January 9th. A definitive accounting of all deaths in the events of January 1964 has yet to be published, and may never be published. Martyrs' Day: Tuesday Tue: Feb 16, 2021 Feb 16: Carnival: Friday Fri: Apr 02, 2021 Apr 02: Good Friday: Saturday Sat: May 01, 2021 May 01: Labour Day: Wednesday Wed: Nov 03, 2021 Nov 03: Separation Day from Colombia: Friday Fri: Nov 05, 2021 Nov 05: Colón Day: Wednesday Wed: Nov 10, 2021 Nov 10: Uprising of Los Santos: Sunday Sun: Nov 28, 2021 Nov 28: Independence Day from Spain: Monday Mon There are conflicting claims about how the flag was torn. The confrontation was not contained in the Panama City area. Martyr's Day in Panama Is Martyr's Day a Public Holiday? Panamanians were tear gassed, and then several were shot. The People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union and Cuba denounced the U.S. in very strong terms. Led by 17-year-old Guillermo Guevara Paz, 150 to 200 demonstrating students from the institute, crossed the street into the Canal Zone and marched through the neighborhoods to Balboa High School, carrying their school's Panamanian flag and a sign proclaiming their country's sovereignty over the U.S. Canal Zone. Several years later, Lyndon B. Johnson wrote in his memoirs that: "When I heard about the students' action, I was certain we were in for trouble. On the way through the mob, pulled and tore our flag.". As the angry Panamanian mob turned their wrath against targets in Panama City, a number of people were shot to death under controversial circumstances. (Jan 09, 2021) Martyrs' Day is a national holiday in Panama that is celebrated on January 9 th every year. Martyr's Day is a public holiday. The committee held a week-long investigation in Panama which was greeted by a unanimous 15-minute Panamanian work stoppage to demonstrate Panama's united opinion. The exploding situation caught up with the Governor while he was still en route to the U.S. over the Caribbean. Canal Zone police tear gassed them. The U.S. Army's 193rd Infantry Brigade was deployed at about 8:35 p.m. American-owned businesses in Panama City were set afire. Some incidents also happened in other cities all over Panama. At Balboa High, the Panamanian students were met by Canal Zone police and a crowd of Zonian students and adults. The police version was disputed by independent investigators, who found that the police fired directly into the crowds and killed Arosemena and a number of other Panamanians. Of the remaining 2,008 bullets, shells and rounds, the 7,193 tear gas grenades or projectiles, the additional 460 pounds of tear gas, only 15 Panamanians were fatally wounded. The U.S. denied that the infant's death was linked to the use of CS tear gas, in keeping with its claim that it is not a lethal agent. It is Martyrs’ Day (el Día de los Mártires). Martyrs’ Day is a national holiday in Panama that is celebrated on January 9 th every year. It was built by the Panama Canal Authority and consists on a covered entryway containing the memorial, which has a name of a "martyr" on each column, and an eternal fire (not unlike the eternal fire for U.S. President John F. Kennedy) in the middle, and the Panamanian flag afterwards, in a sort of open-to-the-sky (i.e. The 21 as listed there include: Maritza Ávila Alabarca, Ascanio Arosemena, Rodolfo Sánchez Benítez, Luis Bonilla, Alberto Constance, Gonzalo Crance, Teofilo De La Torre, José Del Cid, Victor Garibaldo, José Gil, Ezequiel González, Victor Iglesias, Rosa Landecho, Carlos Lara, Gustavo Lara, Ricardo Murgas, Estanislao Orobio, Jacinto Palacios, Ovidio Saldaña, Alberto Tejada and Celestino Villarreta. 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