Colombia’s Outgoing President Sparks Outrage With Nazi Phrase Post

Colombia’s outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, this week published a post on X containing the Nazi salute "Heil Hitler." The post, which has not been deleted, drew more than 20 million views and triggered a wave of furious reactions around the world, including in Israel, as well as condemnations from international Jewish organizations.

Petro’s post included a link to an opinion article published in the Colombian newspaper El Espectador. The article, which criticized Petro and called for a change in the country’s leadership, said that "Colombia does not need more rhetoric; it needs order, authority, and economic freedom." The Nazi expression of horror that Petro wrote was intended as an attack on the article’s author and to brand him with a Nazi label.

In another post he published afterward, Petro pushed back against the criticism directed at him: "There are Nazis in Colombia, and you embraced them." In addition, he pinned the Nazi post to the top of his X profile and claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "involved in an illegal conspiracy against Colombia."

Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded sharply: "A complete loss of moral compass and an indelible stain on Colombia’s legacy." The Anti-Defamation League also issued a forceful condemnation: "An elected head of state should not need an explanation of why publishing a Nazi slogan is horrifying and unacceptable. There is no excuse for it, and there is no context that justifies it."

Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, joined the condemnations and demanded a public apology from Petro: "There are lines you do not cross. Using Nazi slogans is a low point from which there is no return." 

Petro is known for his extreme anti-Israel line. Under his tenure, Colombia became one of the countries most hostile to Israel in the Western Hemisphere. In recent years, Colombia severed its diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, opened an embassy in Ramallah, and joined the case South Africa filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The remarks come against the backdrop of a tense election campaign in Colombia. In the second and decisive round, set for June 21, right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella will face left-wing politician Senator Iván Cepeda, Petro’s official successor. De la Espriella defeated Cepeda in the first round, against polling expectations.

Cepeda has signaled that he will continue Petro’s anti-Israel line if elected. De la Espriella, by contrast, has said he intends to strengthen ties with Israel and the United States, and to cooperate with them in confronting Colombia’s economic and security challenges.