Footage shared on social media shows Colombian President Gustavo Petro joining pro-Palestinian protesters outside U.N. headquarters.
The U.S. State Department said on Sept. 26 that it would revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he called on U.S. soldiers to disobey orders during his visit to New York.
“Earlier today, Colombian president @petrogustavo stood on a NYC street and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence,” the department stated on X.
“We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions,” it added. The department did not provide further details about the incident.
Petro traveled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, though it is unclear whether he is still in the city.
His office shared a series of videos on social media showing him addressing a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters gathering outside UN headquarters in New York on Sept. 26.
“I ask all the soldiers of the U.S. army, do not point your guns at the people,” Petro said through a translator in one of the videos. “Disobey [President Donald] Trump’s orders. Obey the orders of humanity.”
No soldiers appear to be visible in the videos shared by the Colombian president’s office.
Neither the Colombian government nor Petro has issued a response statement to the U.S. State Department’s decision.
In his Sept. 24 address to the UN General Assembly, Petro called on other nations to form “a powerful army” to help defend Palestinian territories from the Israel-Hamas war, which has been ongoing since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on southern Israel.
The Colombian president said that diplomacy had failed to resolve the war and that it’s time for the international community to take a different approach.
“We need a powerful army of countries that do not accept genocide. That is why I invite nations of the world and their peoples more than anything, as an integral part of humanity, to bring together weapons and armies to defend Palestine,” Petro said.
Trump, whose administration has been pushing for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza and the release of hostages, said Sept. 26 that “intense negotiations” had been held with the Middle Eastern community about the situation in Gaza.
All countries in the region are involved in the negotiations, Trump said, adding that the Hamas terrorist group is aware of the talks and that Israel has been kept informed at every level, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There is more Goodwill and Enthusiasm for getting a Deal done, after so many decades, than I have ever seen before. Everyone is excited to put this period of Death and Darkness behind them,” he stated on Truth Social.
Relations between the United States and Colombia have been strained in recent months. Colombia halted weapons purchase from the United States after Trump issued a presidential determination designating Colombia—and several other nations—as having “failed demonstrably” to meet their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements.
In July, the United States recalled its ambassador over what it called “baseless and reprehensible statements” from the Colombian government’s “highest levels,” prompting Colombia to recall its own ambassador. The diplomatic rift came as the Colombian Attorney General’s Office investigated an alleged plot to oust Petro.
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