• Confederacion Nacional de Unidad Sindical Independiente (CONUSI, prominent confederation of independent trade unions) will organize a demonstration outside the Edificio de La Administracion del Canal de Panama in Panama City at 09:00 (local time) on December 31.  
• The protest has been organized to mark the 25th anniversary of the complete US handover of the Panama Canal’s administration to Panama, which occurred on December 31, 1999.
• Trade unions including Sindicato Unico Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Construccion y Similares (SUNTRACS) and Sindicato de los Trabajadores de la Industria Eléctrica y Similares de la Republica de Panama (SITIESPA) have confirmed their participation in the slated protest action.  

1. The call for protest arises amidst a series of contentious exchanges on social media and during public appearances between US President-elect Donald Trump and Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino concerning the ownership and management of the Panama Canal. On December 22, Trump asserted that his incoming administration would seek to reclaim control of the canal, further also alleging that Chinese forces oversee its operations. These claims were repudiated by Mulino, as well as by various civil society groups and labor unions in Panama, including the Union Indigena Campesina (UIC), Union Campesina Panamena, SUNTRACS, and CONUSI. Additionally, Trump’s remarks sparked a peaceful protest, with demonstrators numbering in the mid-to-high dozens, gathering outside the US Embassy in Panama on December 24.  
2. FORECAST: Based on the social media traction over the protest call, combined with the confirmed involvement of prominent trade unions, the upcoming demonstration is expected to attract a turnout in the low-to-mid hundreds. Despite the heightened anti-US rhetoric following Trump’s remarks, the precedent set on December 24 indicates that the protest is likely to unfold peacefully. However, there is a latent possibility for symbolic acts, such as the burning or defacement of images depicting the US flag or Trump. Such incidents, should they occur, are expected to remain localized and are unlikely to escalate into broader unrest, with no anticipated clashes or efforts to suppress the demonstration. Furthermore, localized disruptions to vehicular and pedestrian traffic are expected in the immediate vicinity of the protest site during the morning hours.  

Those operating or residing in Panama City on December 31 are advised to allot for disruptions to travel in the vicinity of the Edificio de La Administracion del Canal de Panama due to the slated demonstration from the morning hours onwards.