Petro Calls for Bogotá Rally, Framing Support as defense Against Trump Sanctions
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Colombian president Gustavo Petro called for a rally in Bogotá, framing it as an act of collective defense against potential sanctions from the United states under former President Donald Trump. The declaration came following a recent court decision regarding the history of paramilitary groups in Colombia and their links to drug trafficking,which Petro believes Trump will exploit to punish him for his long-standing criticism of those connections.
Petro stated the court’s decision “covers the history of paramilitary governance in Colombia” and of those who “came to power allied with drug trafficking and unleashed genocide in Colombia.” He further asserted that Trump, “allied with these politicians and with Uribe, will seek sanctions against the president who in his lifetime denounced the alliances between Colombian political power and paramilitary drug trafficking in Colombia,” amidst a growing diplomatic crisis with the U.S.over anti-drug policy. Petro concluded, “The time for definitions has come and the one who defends is not trump, but the people.”
The call for a rally coincides with Petro’s renewed push for a National Constituent Assembly, a mechanism to reform the Colombian Constitution. He first proposed the idea in June, announcing a ballot on the matter would be included in the March 2026 legislative elections. The initiative has faced strong opposition from various sectors, including constitutional law experts who argue the current 1991 Constitution already adequately protects citizens’ rights.
Petro argues the existing Constitution, while establishing a “social State of law,” is interpreted by some political sectors and high court magistrates through the lens of the older “state of law” concept from the 1886 Constitution, which he believes is insufficient. This constitutional debate forms a key part of his broader political agenda and is now interwoven with his escalating tensions with the united States.
