Colombian President Petro Shares Concert Footage to Denounce 'Genocide in Palestine'
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose outspoken support for Palestinians has brought him into public dispute with Israel, has shared video footage of a large concert in support of Palestine and against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“This is the concert of hope and against genocide in Palestine,” Petro wrote on social media, along with aerial footage of the concert held on Friday night in Bolivar Square in the capital, Bogota.
Musicians from Colombia, as well as Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Panama, and other countries performed at the outdoor concert where a giant Palestinian flag, emblazoned with the words “Stop the Genocide” in Spanish, was hung from a building overlooking the historic square.
Colombia revealed a giant Palestine flag installed on the facade of the Congress in Bogota in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The impressive display read, “Stop the Genocide,” referring to the human rights violations amid the brutal Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, which sparked a humanitarian crisis resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Maria José Pizarro Rodriguez, a senator from the government coalition and Colombia’s delegate in the dialogue with the ELN guerrilla, commented on this highly symbolic measure. “From the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, we say no to the genocide in Palestine. Institutions are democratic only if they truly defend life and humanity.”
The flag was raised as part of the “Concierto de la Esperanza: Latino America solidaria” (Hope Concert: Solidary Latin America), a free music event organized by the government.
Traditionally an ally of Israel, Colombia has completely overhauled its foreign policy under President Petro. Since the beginning of his mandate, Colombia has been a leading supporter of the Palestinian cause on the international stage. After confronting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and comparing him and his policy to Nazi Germany, President Petro broke diplomatic relations with Israel and expelled the ambassador.
Beyond symbolic measures, Colombia also stopped importing arms from Israel and exporting coal, further cutting ties with the Zionist regime. Additionally, Colombia recently announced that it will host and care for dozens of Palestinian children and their families, providing them with medical care.
Nine in every ten people in Gaza are internally displaced due to Israel’s brutal war on the territory, the UN reports, and an estimated 250,000 are living in areas of eastern Khan Younis and Rafah that are under an Israeli military evacuation order, which usually precedes a ground offensive.
The latest situation report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also notes that fuel shortages pose a threat to life-saving health services in Gaza’s hospitals, as well as the functioning of crucial water and sanitation infrastructure.
The OCHA also reports that displaced people in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza are facing extremely dire living conditions, including critical shortages of water, shelter, and food.
At least 38,011 people have been killed and 87,445 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7.