Colombian President Gustavo Petro addressed the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on September 23. But it was not just another speech. It was one of the most radical speeches given at the UN regarding Palestine, the actions of the Donald Trump administration, and the climate crisis.
Petro stated that what is happening in Palestine is undoubtedly genocide.
“Humanity must stop the genocide in Gaza; it cannot allow another day of genocide, nor can it let [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his allies in the United States and Europe get away with it.”
Following the wave of recognition of a Palestinian State by several countries, Petro went one step further: he called for the formation of an international task force to stop the genocide in Palestine:
“Diplomacy has already played its part in the case of Gaza; it has failed to resolve the situation. It is not true, and I apologise to [French President Emmanuel] Macron, that we can insist on talking and talking when every second a missile falls and destroys the bodies of innocent babies in Palestine. Every day that passes, more children are bombed, every veto [by the Security Council] means more bombs; every veto means more deaths,” Petro told the General Assembly.
“Genocide must be stopped with what follows diplomacy … [We must] form an armed force to defend the lives of the Palestinian people. A powerful army is needed from countries that do not accept genocide.
“That is why I invite the nations of the world and their peoples … Words are no longer enough: it is time for the sword, for Bolívar’s freedom or death, because they are not just going to bomb Gaza, not just the Caribbean, as they are already doing, but humanity itself, which cries out for freedom.
“Because Washington and NATO are killing democracy and reviving tyranny and totalitarianism on a global scale.
“We must raise the red and black flag of liberty or death that Bolívar raised, without forgetting the white flag that he also raised as a symbol of peace.”
It is not surprising that Petro’s speech was focused on Gaza. Back in October 2023, he sent humanitarian aid to Gaza, which led to diplomatic tension with Israel, a country from which he would withdraw his ambassador for consultations. In 2024, he supported South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice, which led to the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Bogotá and Tel Aviv in May 2024.
Following this, Petro’s government announced the opening of a diplomatic mission in Ramallah [in the West Bank], headed by Jorge Iván Ospina as ambassador to Palestine. In July 2025, Bogotá promoted an agreement with 12 countries to cease the purchase of weapons from Israeli companies, review public contracts with that country, and seek those responsible for war crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people.
However, this is the first time since the bombing of the Gaza Strip began in October 2023 that a head of state has proposed the formation of an international military force — not blue helmets — to intervene in Palestine and stop the Palestinian genocide, making this proposal one of the most radical attempts to stop the bloodshed.
US delegation walks out after criticism
Another key aspect of Petro’s speech focused on criticising the [Donald] Trump administration’s actions in Colombia and the Caribbean: “They need violence to dominate Colombia and Latin America. They need to stop dialogue and impose and launch killer missiles on poor young people in the Caribbean. The anti-drug policy is not to stop cocaine from reaching the US; it is to dominate the people of the South. It is not about drugs; it is about power and domination.”
Petro added: ”The US government wants to harm thousands of peasants; [the US government] is influenced by Colombian mafia politicians. Hundreds of thousands of peasants have been massacred, just as children are being massacred in Gaza. The massacres in Colombia were carried out by politicians, senators, presidents and ministers who were linked to and bribed by the Colombian drug mafia, allied at the same time with the extreme right in Florida, and now allied with the Trump administration.”
These statements prompted the US delegation to walk out of the UN General Assembly. In response to the speech, a spokesperson for the US State Department told El Tiempo newspaper: “The actions of our delegation on Tuesday speak for themselves.
But Petro did not stop there. Before the delegates of the countries, he requested that if the crew members of the boats that the US has been destroying in the Caribbean Sea, and who were allegedly carrying drugs, were Colombian, a criminal investigation should be opened. “Criminal proceedings should be opened against those officials who are from the United States, even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump,” he said.
Climate revolution
Petro also addressed climate change, saying that the world has 10 years to make urgent changes before it reaches a point of no-return. He proposed an energy transformation based on renewables to abandon fossil fuels. In this regard, he said, Latin America and Africa have a fundamental role to play in sustaining this change, and that the US and Europe could benefit from this change for their own survival.
In addition, he advocated for a planned economy, as opposed to an economy based on market anarchy: “Capital or life … What is needed to successfully overcome the climate crisis is a revolution of the people. It is a revolution of civilisations that must dialogue with each other, even more so than states. It is a revolution of humanity to continue living on this planet.”
[Abridged from Peoples Dispatch.]