United States Cancels Visa of Colombian President Over Pro-Palestine Stance

Darwin, 28 September— The U.S. Department of State has announced the cancellation of Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa following his controversial remarks against President Donald Trump. This was reported on Saturday by Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera.

The United States also described Petro’s speech to pro-Palestine protesters outside the United Nations headquarters in New York as “disorderly and inflammatory conduct.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the U.S. State Department stated, “Earlier today, Colombian President Gustavo Petro stood on a street in New York City encouraging U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence.”

Although the department did not provide specific details of Petro’s remarks, footage circulating on social media shows the Colombian leader joining thousands of pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the UN building in Midtown Manhattan.

What Did Petro Say?

In a published video clip, Petro can be heard saying that his country is planning to present a proposal at the United Nations aimed at establishing a “world army for the salvation of the world.”

An informal translation of his speech to the protesters states that this army would include soldiers from various countries around the world who would “enforce the orders of international justice” and that its size should be larger than the U.S. military.

The most controversial statement, which is believed to have prompted the U.S. action, was: “I ask all members of the U.S. military not to point their guns at humanity. Disobey Trump’s orders. Obey the orders of humanity,” said the Colombian leader.

Background and Context

On Friday, a massive protest took place outside the United Nations headquarters as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the fourth day of the UN General Assembly’s general debate.

In his speech, Netanyahu called on world leaders to allow Israel to “finish the work” in Gaza and strongly criticized Western countries for their “shameful decisions” to recognize the state of Palestine.

There are allegations of genocide by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Earlier, on Tuesday, during a speech at the UN General Assembly, Petro directly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, labeling him an “accomplice to genocide” in Gaza, and called for a “criminal process” to begin over a U.S. airstrike that destroyed boats amid drug trafficking allegations in the Caribbean Sea.

When Reuters sought comment on the visa cancellation, neither the Colombian president’s office nor the country’s foreign ministry immediately responded.

However, on Friday, Petro reposted several video clips of his speech to the pro-Palestine protesters in New York on his social media profiles.