The United States Department of State announced plans to revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of engaging in “reckless and incendiary actions” during a demonstration outside United Nations headquarters in New York City.
“Earlier today, Colombian president [Gustavo Petro] stood on a NYC street and urged US soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence,” the department wrote on X on Friday, reports news agencies.
While the post offered no further explanation, videos shared online showed Petro addressing thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators in Midtown Manhattan. In one clip, he declared that Colombia would push for a UN resolution to create an “army for the salvation of the world,” with its first mission being the “liberation of Palestine.”
According to an unofficial translation of his remarks, Petro said the multinational force would “enforce the orders of international justice” and must be “larger” than the United States military. He added, “I ask all of the soldiers of the army of the US not to point their guns at humanity. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.”
The protest coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly, where he insisted Israel must “finish the job” in Gaza and condemned Western governments for their “disgraceful decision” to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Neither Petro’s office nor Colombia’s Foreign Ministry immediately commented on the US decision.
On Tuesday, in his own speech before the General Assembly, Petro accused US President Donald Trump of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza and demanded “criminal proceedings” over US airstrikes on vessels in the Caribbean, which Washington linked to drug trafficking.
Petro’s social media accounts on Friday featured reposted videos of his appearance at the protest. In one message, he wrote, “Free Palestine. If Gaza falls, humanity dies.”
Since taking office in 2022, Petro has been a persistent critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, repeatedly condemning it as “genocide.” He broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024, pointing to its attacks on Palestinian civilians as acts comparable to the Holocaust.
Earlier this year, he also reinstated a full ban on Colombian coal exports to Israel, saying his country “will not be complicit” in Israel’s genocide.
