Thousands March for Puerto Rican Independence in San Juan
On August 31, 2025, approximately 3,000 individuals marched through the historic streets of Old San Juan advocating for Puerto Rican independence. This demonstration, part of a broader initiative demanding the island’s decolonization, extended to several U.S. cities, reports 24brussels.
The event, dubbed the March for the Independence of Puerto Rico, commenced from the Capitol’s south side following a performance of the revolutionary anthem by singer iLe. Participants marched along San Francisco Street, culminating their journey at the Federal Court.
About twenty political and social organizations united to promote the march, asserting, “Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States of America for 127 years; since then there has always been a demand for freedom from important sectors of our people who have sometimes claimed to be the majority of the population.”
Participating groups included the National Alliance Against Displacement, the Feminist Collective in Construction, the Caribbean Commune, and others, highlighting a significant push for independence. Spokespeople lamented that the U.S. has historically devalued Puerto Rican currency and undermined local businesses through military, political, and economic imposition.
According to the organizations, the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico cannot be addressed with superficial solutions but requires “structural changes in the political, economic and social” framework.
This march commemorated 40 years since the arrests of the Macheteros in 1985 and 20 years since the assassination of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos in 2005, events pivotal to the independence movement. It also served to revisit historical events like the Jayuya Revolution of 1950 and figures such as Pedro Albizu Campos, Blanca Canales, and Heriberto Marín, while provoking public debate on colonialism and independence.
In a contrasting tone, Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico’s new governor and a member of the New Progressive Party (PNP), has pledged to advocate for the island’s annexation to the U.S., pursuing “full equality” for all Puerto Ricans. A proponent of the ‘Statehood’ movement, Gonzalez promotes annexation as a means for the island to access the same opportunities as U.S. states. This view gained support in a non-binding referendum held on November 5, where 56.87% of voters favored statehood over independence or free association, notwithstanding a substantial number of blank votes attributed to boycotts from other political parties.
Source: EFE // Prensa Latina
