WASHINGTON: The US State Department announced Friday it will cancel the visa of Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro due to his “provocative actions” at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York.
“Earlier today, Colombian president @petrogustavo stood on a street in NYC and called on US soldiers to defy orders and provoke violence,” the State Department stated in a post on X.
“We will cancel Petro’s visa because of his irresponsible and inflammatory behavior,” it stated.
On his social media, Petro posted a video of himself addressing a big crowd in Spanish using a megaphone on Friday, with his translator subsequently conveying his remarks urging “nations of the world” to provide troops for an army “bigger than that of the United States.”
“That’s the reason I urge all soldiers in the United States Army from New York not to aim their rifles at people. Ignore Trump’s command.
A source within the president’s office verified to AFP that Petro was en route to Bogota on Friday night.
Petro stated that he holds Italian citizenship and wouldn’t require a visa to travel to the United States.
Petro’s Criticism of US Military Actions
Petro was in New York for the UN General Assembly, where he strongly criticized the Trump administration and demanded a criminal investigation into recent US attacks on supposed drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean during his speech on Tuesday.
Petro stated that unarmed “poor young individuals” were killed in the attacks — over a dozen altogether — but Washington argues that these actions are part of a US anti-drug initiative near the shores of Venezuela, whose leader Washington claims is operating a cartel.
Trump has sent eight warships and a submarine to the southern Caribbean, and the largest US deployment in years has heightened concerns in Venezuela of a potential invasion.
Petro, whose nation is the largest cocaine producer globally, stated he believes some of the individuals killed in the US boat attacks were Colombian.
Strained Relations Between Colombia and the US
Last week, the Trump administration revoked Colombia’s status as a partner in the battle against drugs, but did not impose economic sanctions.
The nations are traditional allies, but relations have deteriorated under Petro — Colombia’s first leftist president.
South America’s Interior Minister Armando Benedetti posted on X Friday evening that the visa of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ought to have been canceled instead of Petro’s.
“However, because the empire shields him, it’s retaliating against the only president who was brave enough to confront him directly.”
