Massacre of Pounce

The Massacre of Ponce took place in the city of the same name, with Puerto Rico, the March 21st 1937 (Palm Sunday). Demonstrators of the Porto Rican Parti nationalist, who protested against the imprisonment of their leader Pedro Albizu Campos and for the independence of the country were cut down by the police force.

Chronology

The organizers had obtained municipality of Pounce an authorization to express peacefully. When he learned it, the governor of Puerto Rico, the general Blanton Winship, asked for the withdrawal of this authorization. It was withdrawn one hour before the beginning of the procession.

Large police forces gathered. They were armed with rifles, Mitraillette S Thompson and Teargas S.

The demonstrators are reflected moving with the sound of the national anthem, Borinqueña . The shooting which followed lasted about fifteen minutes and made approximately twenty dead and more than one hundred of casualties. Some of the victims were simple passers by, others were killed while trying to take refuge at them. Hundred fifty demonstrators were stopped.

The investigations which followed did not make it possible to determine what had really occurred, nor which had taken the initiative of such a wild repression.

There exists a museum devoted to these events, " Massacre of Ponce" Put; , located in the vicinity immediate of the place of the massacre.

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