The United States announced on Friday it would revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York and urged American soldiers to defy orders from President Donald Trump.
“We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions,” the U.S. State Department posted on X.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, addressed protesters outside the United Nations headquarters, calling for the creation of a global armed force “bigger than that of the United States” to liberate Palestinians. Speaking in Spanish, he appealed directly to U.S. troops: “I ask all the soldiers of the army of the United States not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.”
Reuters reported it was unable to immediately verify whether Petro remained in New York. His office and Colombia’s foreign ministry did not comment on the U.S. decision.
The move comes amid deepening diplomatic rifts as Washington intensifies its crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices. Several U.S. allies, including France, Britain, Australia and Canada, have formally recognized a Palestinian state, a step condemned by both Israel and the Trump administration.
Petro has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. In his U.N. General Assembly speech earlier this week, he accused Trump of being “complicit in genocide” and called for criminal proceedings over U.S. missile strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also addressing the assembly on Friday, blasted Western recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying it sends a dangerous signal that “murdering Jews pays off.”
The Gaza war, sparked by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has left more than 65,000 Palestinians dead and displaced the enclave’s entire population, according to Gaza health officials. Israel rejects accusations of genocide, insisting its campaign is self-defense.
The visa revocation also highlights Petro’s strained relationship with Trump since his return to the White House in January. The two countries clashed earlier this year over deportation flights and counter-narcotics policy, with Washington accusing Colombia of failing to uphold anti-drug agreements.
Despite Colombia’s reliance on U.S. trade and security cooperation, relations between Bogotá and Washington appear to be entering one of their most turbulent periods in decades.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
