24 June 1980: El Salvador general strike
Published: June 24, 2026
Duration: 1:45
On this day, 24 June 1980, a two-day general strike began in El Salvador protesting against the US-backed military dictatorship and its counter-insurgency death squads. 85% of the economy was shut down and 80,000 people took to the streets. Police and soldiers killed two people building barricades in the suburb of Delgado.
Noam Chomsky described the crackdown of the right-wing regime which began in March 1980: "the war against the population began in force (with continued US support and involvement). The first major attack was a big massacre at the Rio Sumpul, a coordinated military operation of the Honduran and Salvadoran armies in which...
Noam Chomsky described the crackdown of the right-wing regime which began in March 1980: "the war against the population began in force (with continued US support and involvement). The first major attack was a big massacre at the Rio Sumpul, a coordinated military operation of the Honduran and Salvadoran armies in which...