The US has stated it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa after he encouraged US soldiers to disobey his American counterpart Donald Trump during remarks at a rally in New York.
The State Department described Petro's comments at a pro-Palestinian street protest on Friday as 'reckless and incendiary'.
The Colombian leader was in the US for the UN General Assembly, where earlier this week he called for a criminal inquiry into the Trump administration's airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.
He was already on his way back to Bogota when the US announced it would cancel his visa, according to Colombian media reports.
Petro shared a video on social media of him addressing a large crowd through a megaphone on Friday. He called for the formation of a 'world salvation army, whose first task is to liberate Palestine'.
'That is why, from here in New York, I ask all soldiers in the United States Army not to point their rifles at humanity,' he said. 'Disobey Trump's order! Obey the order of humanity!'
Petro continued, invoking historical parallels: 'As happened in the First World War, I want the young people, sons and daughters of workers and farmers, of both Israel and the United States, to point their rifles not toward humanity, but toward the tyrants and toward the fascists.'
The US State Department strongly criticized these remarks, claiming they urged US soldiers to incite violence.
In response to the visa revocation, Colombia's Interior Minister Armando Benedetti expressed dismay, stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visa should have been annulled instead, arguing that Petro's actions are being unfairly targeted.
Relations between Petro and the Trump administration have worsened in recent months, especially following Petro's criticisms of US military tactics, which he views as genocidal rather than a solution to the drug trade.
Petro condemned US airstrikes, arguing they primarily serve US interests to exert dominance in Latin America rather than addressing drug trafficking itself.
Washington maintains that these military actions form part of its broader anti-drug strategy in the region, particularly against Venezuela.
This controversial incident accompanies a broader context where the US has also denied visas to Palestinian officials, highlighting a trend of restricting access for figures critical of its policies.
