«Free Colombia»: Petro Calls for Public Mobilization After Trump Insults and Intervention Threats

Original article: “Colombia libre”: Petro convoca a las plazas tras insultos de Trump y amenazas de intervención

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has urged citizens to gather in public squares this Wednesday to stand up for their nation’s sovereignty in response to insults and military intervention threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Social forces from Colombia have gathered for a nationwide mobilization this Wednesday at 4 PM in all public squares across the country. I will speak to the people of Bogotá in Bolívar Plaza. Free Colombia!” Petro stated in a message on social media platform X.

The Colombian head of state also encouraged citizens to proudly display a Colombian flag at their homes and buildings as a sign of unity in the defense of their independence and democracy.

“We’ll see each other in all the squares of Colombia at 4 PM on Wednesday. It’s time to defend national sovereignty,” he emphasized.

Petro Responds to Trump’s Threats and Insults

This initiative comes amid global controversies regarding recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela, where forces attempted to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Following these events, Trump labeled Colombia as a “sick country” that he would consider intervening militarily.

The far-right leader remarked to reporters aboard Air Force One that, similar to Venezuela, “Colombia is also very sick.”

He also insulted Petro, telling him to “watch his back” and describing him as “sick,” while also accusing him of supporting drug production.

According to the White House occupant, the South American nation is “governed by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States, and that’s something he won’t be doing for much longer.”

When asked if this meant a potential U.S. operation in Colombia, Trump replied, “that sounds good to me.”

In response, Gustavo Petro denied the unsubstantiated claims linking him to drug trafficking and assured that he has the support of the Colombian Armed Forces and his people.

Moreover, Petro addressed Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing them of spreading misinformation and ignoring Colombia’s constitutional order.

“If you bomb any of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children. If you bomb farmers, you will turn them into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if you detain a president that a large part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar,” the progressive leader asserted.

“Every soldier in Colombia has an order from now on: any commander of the public force who prefers the flag of the U.S. over the Colombian flag will be immediately removed from the institution by order of the bases and the troop and mine. The constitution mandates that public forces defend popular sovereignty,” he added.

In that context, he made it clear: “I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco,” defending his democratic election within the constitutional framework while stating that his government has intensified actions against drug trafficking.

In another statement, Petro characterized the forced transfer of Maduro and his wife to U.S. territory as lacking legal basis, asserting that under such conditions, “the detention becomes kidnapping,” while insisting on the defense of regional sovereignty.

The mobilization planned for Wednesday, according to Petro, is intended as a public demonstration “for sovereignty and democracy,” at a time when his administration faces pressures and aggressions from Washington.