In his fourth speech in as many years before the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro Urrego called out the United States and NATO for “killing democracy and helping revive tyranny and totalitarianism on a global scale.” (Colombiareports.com, Sept. 24) Petro noted that he had called for a peace conference to prevent the war in Ukraine, “but those of us without bombs or big budgets are not listened to here.”

Declaring that “diplomacy has ended its role,” Petro made Gaza the focus of this address, calling for a “Uniting for Peace” resolution to bypass the U.N. Security Council. He also called for the establishment of an international armed force to liberate Palestine, echoing a call by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who said his country was willing to provide 20,000 soldiers for an armed force to be deployed in Gaza.

Petro directed his remarks at President Donald Trump, accusing him of complicity in the genocide in Gaza and of exporting violence into Latin America. He raised that U.S. warships fired missiles targeting boats and killing 17 young, unarmed people on vessels in the Caribbean.

Explaining all the steps Colombia was taking to mitigate the drug crisis, Petro noted that Trump’s anti-drug policies were not about stopping cocaine but about dominating the people of South America and the Caribbean.

Petro said: “Millions of migrants are persecuted, imprisoned, chained and expelled. Missiles rain down on 70,000 people in Gaza, killing them. The climate crisis remains unaddressed, its words erased by Trump. All of this is connected, all part of the same cause.” Petro called the U.S. “a society for the rich, white and racist.”

While the U.S. delegation responded by walking out during Petro’s remarks, Petro helped lead a massive walkout of Assembly delegates when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began to speak.

On Sept. 25, Petro joined tens of thousands of demonstrators outside the U.N. who were protesting the U.S./Israeli genocide in Palestine and spoke during the event, repeating his call for a global armed force with the priority to liberate Palestinians.

When the State Department posted on X that it would revoke Petro’s visa “due to his reckless and incendiary actions,” his response was, “I don’t need a visa, because I’m not only a Colombian citizen but a European citizen.” Petro accused the U.S. of violating international law over his criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. “Revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the U.S. no longer respects international law,” Petro posted on X. (The Guardian, Sept. 27)

Citing the visa revocation, Colombia’s foreign affairs ministry said, “The U.N. should find a completely neutral host country.”