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Union groups on Monday denounced legislation that would ban protests on public streets.
Pedro Irene Maymí, the president of the Organization of Trade Union Leaders of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), and Iván Vargas Muñiz, a labor leader and Mayagüez city assembly member, strongly condemned House Bill 271. The bill, penned by New Progressive Party (NPP) Rep. José Pichy Torres Zamora, which would penalize public street demonstrations as a crime.
Torres Zamora could not immediately be reached for comment.
“The primary effect of this measure is to restrict workers’ right to free expression and protest in Puerto Rico,” Maymí said. “Moreover, the language in the bill could be applied to activities that may be considered beneficial. Often, when a large number of attendees participate, these activities lead to the temporary closure of public roads, and any such closures are done in coordination with the police.”
Vargas Muñiz, who in the past presided over the Mayagüez Chapter of the Authentic Independent Union (UIA by its initials in Spanish) of Employees of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), called the measure an extreme action.
“Such measures are typically associated with extremist regimes, whether left or right, and are unacceptable in a democratic government that prides itself on being pro-American,” he said.
The Mayagüez assemblyman also highlighted a contradiction in the governing NPP’s stance: during last year’s political campaign the party’s candidates actively supported protests in Venezuela against that country’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, which similarly involved blocking streets.
“They advocate for the right of people to demonstrate in other countries, yet oppose it here in Puerto Rico,” Vargas Muñiz said. “What a contradiction!”
The PDP’s Organization of Trade Union Leaders reaffirmed its commitment to defending the right to protest and free expression. “We call on all sectors to unite against this measure and safeguard the fundamental rights of our citizens,” Maymí said.
