Honduran protests disrupt traffic nationwide, police fire tear gas in Macuelizo

At least seven protests erupted across Honduras on Monday, blocking roads in locations such as Germania in Tegucigalpa, the El Conejo detour, Tocoa in Colón and Macuelizo in Santa Bárbara. Police deployed preventive units to safeguard both the right to demonstrate and free circulation, while the National Directorate of Roads and Transport set up detours and advised alternate routes. In Macuelizo, officers used tear‑gas canisters against demonstrators who were peacefully occupying the highway to demand the end of a school construction, oppose the so‑called “law of dispossession”, the privatization of the national electricity company ENEE, and protect public health services. The incident was the only clash reported; other gatherings remained largely peaceful. Police spokesperson Comisario Edgardo Barahona said the force was applied in accordance with legal guidelines and emphasized dialogue as the preferred response.