The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that it would revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro. This decision stemmed from his participation in a pro-Palestinian protest in New York, during which he made remarks deemed “incendiary” by the Department. Colombian media reported that Petro was already returning to Bogotá at the time of the announcement.
During the protest, Petro compared U.S. airstrikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea to an “act of tyranny” in a recent interview with the BBC. He shared a video on social media where he was seen addressing a crowd, urging “nations of the world” to form a military force larger than that of the United States. He implored U.S. soldiers to “disobey Trump’s order” and instead “obey the order of humanity.”
In response to his statements, the State Department expressed strong criticism, asserting that Petro had incited violence by urging U.S. soldiers to disobey commands. Following the announcement of the visa revocation, Colombia’s Interior Minister Armando Benedetti stated on social media that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visa should have been revoked instead of Petro’s, implying a bias in how these diplomatic decisions are made.
Petro, elected as Colombia’s first leftist president, has previously expressed concerns that some victims of U.S. military actions may be Colombian nationals, amid efforts by the U.S. to combat drug trafficking linked to Venezuelan authorities. Tensions between Petro’s government and the U.S., particularly during Trump’s presidency, have become increasingly evident. Additionally, the U.S. has recently denied visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and numerous Palestinian officials, preventing their attendance at the UN General Assembly.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9jv8kne7no?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss