ALBAWABA- Colombian President Gustavo Petro turned the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly into a stage of defiance on Friday, leading a mass pro-Palestine demonstration outside UN headquarters and denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what he called the “genocide in Gaza.”
Petro, attending the 80th UNGA, marched at the front of thousands of protesters organized by Palestinian youth and solidarity groups.
In a fiery address, he urged U.S. soldiers to “disobey Trump’s orders” and “not point their rifles at humanity,” while vowing to compile a list of volunteers willing to form an “army to defend Palestine.”
The protest came days after Petro’s blistering September 23 speech at the UN, where he accused world leaders of complicity in Gaza’s devastation, demanded an armed UN peace force under the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, and declared: “Enough words, humanity must stop the genocide in Gaza.”
The U.S. swiftly responded, announcing that Petro’s visa would be revoked after his departure, a rare rebuke against a sitting head of state.
Washington branded his rhetoric “reckless,” while his supporters hailed it as a bold stand against global silence.
Colombia severed ties with Israel in August, redirecting military purchases toward Palestinian aid.
Petro’s outspoken stance has elevated his profile among Global South nations but risks isolating Colombia from key Western partners amid deepening divides over the Gaza war.
