00:00The commemoration of Honduras' 205 years of independence was marked by an opposition protest
00:06claiming that due to direct interference by the United States, the country is not yet truly
00:11independent. Our correspondent Gerardo Torres Zelaya reports from Tegucigalpa.
00:21This September 15, all of Central America commemorated the 205th anniversary of its
00:27independence from the Kingdom of Spain. In Honduras, official ceremonies were overshadowed
00:33by low turnout compared to previous years, as well as by a parallel protest asserting that,
00:39due to direct United States interference in national politics, the country remains far
00:44from truly independent. I really enjoyed the patriotic parades, as we know.
00:55They changed little by little, and while attendance was a bit lower this year, I imagine people
00:59are tuning in from home to watch them, because it reflects the patriotic fervor we carry within
01:06us.
01:15We know that true independence has never really existed for my beloved country, Honduras.
01:26However, we understand the recent push to expand shorter cities.
01:36If we allow this avalanche of libertarian-style concessions
01:44to continue, could see us end up like Palestine.
01:50They want to take our territory and seize the areas that interest them most.
01:58We believe this is a disastrous and terrible policy for our people.
02:09Under the slogan, what independence, the popular mobilization on September 15 had become a tradition
02:15for calling out neoliberal governments. During Xiomara Castro's four-year term, the two mobilizations
02:22merged and official events became a platform to assert Honduras' right to be truly independent.
02:29In just a few months, the current government has lost that popular support.
02:36First, there is Yankee interference. All of Latin America is subject to intervention,
02:42including the seven countries where Cerimido committed fraud, as far as we know,
02:46and Honduras is among them. This makes it crystal clear that independence is far from our reach.
02:54The social protest was led by Rixi Moncada, former presidential candidate and sub-coordinator of the
03:00Libre Party.
03:07What kind of government is this?
03:11One has to wonder whose side this government is on.
03:16A government that brought back the charter cities, that handed over judicial authority to ICSID,
03:22and that does not trust its own Supreme Court, declaring instead that commercial disputes must be
03:27resolved in the United States. What independence are we talking about, comrades?
03:36The independence of Donald Trump? The man who sells pardons like merchandise and sends us criminals
03:42like Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted by a federal court as a drug trafficker? What independence?
03:49The kind associated with the Epstein case, currently under investigation within the very empire that
03:56Donald Trump has unleashed across Latin America to kidnap presidents, assault democracy, and steal elections.
04:06The task ahead is immense, and I stand ready as always to stand with the Honduran people.
04:19Political tensions continue to rise in Honduras, with daily protests over various issues and the
04:25government rapidly losing support, reliant solely in the backing from the White House.
04:30For Telestore in English, from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Gerardo Torres Zelaya.
04:34The
04:34No, no, no, no.
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