The US state department said it would revoke the visa of Colombian leftist president Gustavo Petro for his “incendiary actions” during a pro-Palestinian street protest in New York.
“Earlier today, Colombian president @petrogustavo stood on a NYC street and urged US soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence,” the state department said on X, “We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions.”
On his social media account, Petro shared video of himself speaking Spanish to a large crowd through a megaphone on Friday, with his translator then relaying his comments calling on “nations of the world” to contribute soldiers for an army “larger than that of the United States”.
“That is why, from here in New York, I ask all soldiers in the United States army not to point their rifles at humanity. Disobey Trump’s order! Obey the order of humanity!” Petro said.
Colombian media reported Petro was already en route to Bogota from New York on Friday night.
Petro was in New York for the UN general assembly, where he rebuked the Trump administration fiercely and called for a criminal inquiry into recent US strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean in his Tuesday address.
