Faced with austerity, privatisation, and the further erosion of democratic rights, Puerto Rico is entering a crucial stage of political upheaval.
Last month, a coalition of workers, students and activists – led by primary school teachers – staged a series of demonstrations demanding higher wages. Galvanised by slogans such as ‘El pueblo antes de la deuda’ (The people before the debt), this impressive worker-student coalition is rekindling the movement that ousted Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló in 2019.
The recent protests come on the heels of the January approval of a debt adjustment plan by Laura Taylor Swain – a US federal district court judge overviewing the island’s debt as mandated by the PROMESA (the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act). Passed by the US Congress in 2016, this law – which allowed the island to file for bankruptcy – established the unelected Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB, also referred to in Puerto Rico as ‘la junta’) to restructure the island’s debt and finances.
