Controversy Erupts Over Gustavo Petro’s Comment
Outgoing Colombian president Gustavo Petro has stirred up a significant backlash after posting “Heil Hitler” on social media in response to a favorable opinion piece about conservative presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriela.
Petro, a former member of the Marxist group M19 and Colombia’s first leftist president, is nearing the end of his term, which is limited to four years. His use of social media has frequently led to international uproar, sometimes resulting in strained diplomatic relations with countries like the United States.
On Sunday, Petro made the controversial remark after reading an article in the Colombian newspaper El Espectador, written by journalist Felipe Zuleta Lleras. The piece, titled “Abelardo: The Surgeon Colombia Needs,” had him expressing support for the conservative candidate using Google’s AI platform, Gemini.
The article presented a case for voting for de la Espriela in the upcoming run-off election against far-left senator Iván Cepeda. It highlighted the candidate’s plans to reduce the size of the government, take a tougher approach to organized crime and drug trafficking, and transition Colombia’s economy towards informality.
Petro’s statement was met with immediate outrage from both domestic and international social media users. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Petro “has completely lost its moral compass,” criticizing the comment as damaging to Colombia’s heritage.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also condemned Petro’s statement, arguing that no matter the circumstances, there should be lines that should never be crossed. This remark seems to reference persistent rumors about Petro’s alleged struggles with substance abuse.
Danon labeled the use of Nazi slogans as “a shameful and irreversible abyss,” urging Petro to reconsider and apologize before presiding over a UN Security Council debate this week.
Colombia holds the presidency of the UN Security Council and is set to maintain a two-year term until the end of 2027. Following recent terrorist attacks, Petro has drawn parallels between Israel’s defense actions and the Holocaust, leading to major diplomatic tensions, including a cutoff of relations with Israel in May 2024.
As his presidency nears its conclusion on August 7, the winner of the June 21 election between de la Espriela and Cepeda will succeed him. De la Espriela, a conservative lawyer supported by Donald Trump, emerged as the front-runner, having garnered nearly 44% of the vote in the first round, ahead of Cepeda’s 40.9% tally.
Petro has publicly claimed that he rejects the May 31 election results, alleging electoral fraud against Cepeda. However, Cepeda’s campaign team has stated they found no evidence of irregularities.
Following the fallout from his “Heil Hitler” comment, Petro issued a lengthy message that included further contentious remarks, where he mistakenly referred to de la Espriela’s running mate by the wrong name. This led to more accusations against him, including being labeled a “right-wing extremist” simply for his religious affiliations.
In another post, Petro referred to Lleras in disparaging terms, mentioning his sexual orientation in an inappropriate context. His earlier comments, including a message entitled “Dignity or Nostalgia for the Slave-Owning Aristocracy,” also drew criticism, particularly for associating with national team member Yerry Mina, who was subjected to racist abuse following Petro’s remarks.
As Colombian law restricts a president to one term, it’s unlikely Petro will pursue re-election.
