Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday dismissed the US decision to revoke his visa and accused Washington of violating international law over his criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The US said on Friday it would revoke Petro’s visa after he took to New York’s streets on Friday to join a pro-Palestinian demonstration and urged US soldiers to disobey President Donald Trump’s orders.
‘I Don’t Need A Visa’
“I no longer have a visa to travel to the United States. I don’t care. I don’t need a visa… because I’m not only a Colombian citizen but a European citizen, and I truly consider myself a free person in the world,” Petro said on social media.
“Revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the US no longer respects international law,” he added on a post on X.
Israel has repeatedly denied genocide charges over its actions in Gaza and says it is acting in self-defence.
Defying Trump
Petro, addressing a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters outside U.N. headquarters in Manhattan, called for a global armed force with the priority to liberate Palestinians, adding “this force has to be bigger than that of the United States.”
“That’s why from here, from New York, 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,” Petro said in Spanish.
Petro is not the first Colombian president to have his US visa revoked. In 1996, then-President Ernesto Samper’s visa was canceled over a political scandal involving allegations that the Cali drug cartel had funded his presidential campaign.
Icy Relations
Relations between Bogota and Washington have frayed since Trump returned to office. Earlier this year, Petro blocked deportation flights from the US, prompting threats of tariffs and sanctions. The two sides later reached a deal.
In July, both countries recalled their ambassadors after Petro accused US officials of plotting a coup, a claim Washington called baseless.
Petro cut diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024 and banned Colombian coal exports to the country.
(With inputs from Reuters)
