Gustavo Petro was the target of criticism for mentioning the “revolutionary slogan” in a message of support for fans who said goodbye to Javier Acosta – credit Andrea Puentes/Presidency/Flickr and Javier Acosta/Instagram

The euthanasia of 36-year-old Javier Acosta from Bogotá, a Millonarios fan, generated a wave of comments of solidarity from citizens, which even involved great figures of Colombian soccer such as Radamel Falcao and Alberto Gamero, the team’s coach, who expressed their support. The case also motivated the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, to speak out.

In a message from X, he referred to the emotional farewell given by several fans outside the San Ignacio Hospital. While they accompanied him, Javier Acosta appeared from a window of the hospital, raising and shaking a Millonarios shirt.

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In response to this, the president highlighted the support expressed by football fans, saying that they demonstrated a “revolutionary slogan.” “A moving gesture of solidarity from the young football fans. They remind us that all Colombians are children of the revolutionary slogan that waves around the world: “Freedom, equality and solidarity,” wrote the head of state on the social network.

President Gustavo Petro celebrated the gesture of Millonarios fans who said goodbye to Javier Acosta – credit @petrogustavo/X

His comment generated several questions and criticisms from Internet users who considered it as a way of involving ideology and politics. “Have a little respect”; “There is no need to bring politics or religion into the decision”; “Respect, Petro”; “Politicizing to the point of euthanasia”; “What a horrible comment,” indicated some X users.

However, there were also messages of support from citizens: “President Gustavo Petro sends a message of solidarity to Javier Acosta,” said one Internet user.

The BetPlay Dimayor League also shared a message of support after the citizen’s death, with the following message: “Courage is the passion to face death with the same intensity with which one lives life.”

Liga BetPlay Dimayor shared an image of solidarity with Javier Acosta – credit @LigaBetPlayD/X

The Millonarios fan decided to undergo euthanasia because he was suffering from osteomyelitis and blood cancer that would prevent him from having a quality of life and would have an impact on his daughter’s life. “It hurts me not to see my daughter grow up. I ask you to accompany me on the day of my funeral and the mass. Thank you for your friendship. I am leaving thanking you. From heaven I will pull the legs of all the Millonarios players to see if they win,” said the fan in a video.

His medically assisted death was recorded at 12:47 pm on August 30, 2024. Minutes before, he made a video call with who would be his girlfriend, according to some Internet users. It is a woman named Alejandra Layton, to whom he did a little merengue dance, at her request: “Last merenguito, wait for me, I’ll play it for you, which one do you want my love, wait for me, I’ll play it for you,” the woman suggested.

She then asked him to promise to come to her dreams to prepare a dish for her that she enjoys: breaded shrimp.

The man from Bogotá died at around 12:47 pm – credit @AlejandraLayton/Instagram

The events with Acosta caused concern among the authorities, since he claimed that he contracted a bacteria in a pool in Melgar, which was what worsened his health and led him to make the decision to undergo euthanasia. The Department of Health of Tolima reported that they have started investigations to inspect the pools.

“Melgar is a purely tourist municipality and this type of situation can have an impact. I believe that this type of information should be handled with more caution so as not to generate alarms in the population or in visitors,” said the Secretary of Health of Tolima, Ingrid Katherine Rengifo.

The official indicated that monitoring is also being carried out in other areas such as Honda, Mariquita and Carmen de Apicalá.

The rains have prevented students from receiving supplies – Pae/Deposit credit

Heavy rains in the south and center of the Magdalena department continue to cause an emergency, as more than 75,000 children in the region have had difficulty receiving their school meals in a normal manner as a result of the poor condition of the roads that have blocked the passage of trucks transporting supplies for schools.

The Magdalena Governorate confirmed that it has activated a contingency plan to ensure that food reaches the department’s schools. “Following the governor’s directive, we have activated a contingency plan so that raw materials reach educational institutions. Transfers have been made from vans to trucks in municipalities such as San Sebastián and Pijiño del Carmen, where some roads have become impassable due to heavy rainfall,” said Camilo Aguirre, head of the Food Programs office.

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These rains also caused damage in the municipalities of Plato and Cerro de San Antonio, where at least Two thousand families were forced to receive humanitarian support from emergency agencies and the department’s government.

The community of Plato is under alert following heavy rains on the night of Sunday, August 25, which caused flooding in several areas of the town.

The Magdalena Governorate activated a contingency plan – credit El Nuevo Dia/Colprensa

Images were released on social media showing how the water currents invaded dozens of homes, affecting hundreds of families in the area. The neighborhoods Altos Prado, El Siete de Agosto, El Bosque and San Rafael were the most affected.

The community requested the urgent intervention of the Risk Management Office of the Department of Magdalena to take action on the matter. and provide effective measures to mitigate the emergency experienced by the inhabitants of this municipality.

“Emergency in the municipality of Plato-Magdalena, due to heavy rains, nearly 20 neighborhoods were flooded and dozens of families were affected,” said Angela Cedeña, deputy of the department, through her social networks.

“We call on the Magdalena Governorate and the national government through the Ungrd, to immediately address this contingency with all institutionality.the integrity of the affected communities must be guaranteed,” the official added.

The department of Atlántico has also been affected in recent days by heavy rains, which have left houses damaged, trees fallen, and structures damaged in educational institutions in several municipalities.

The departmental administration confirmed that damage has occurred in schools located in the municipalities of Suan, Candelaria, Sabanagrande, Palmar de Varela, Santo Tomás, Puerto Colombia and the districts of Puerto Giraldo, in Pondera, and Bohórquez in Campo de la Cruz.

Alert for rain in the Atlantic – credit @Barriosleyton_/X

“Of the five schools in the municipality of Suan, four had damage to their roofs; in the case of Puerto Colombia, we have reported damage to the Simón Bolívar and María Mancilla Technical Tourist Educational Institutions.; the difficulty lies in some enclosures that are about to collapse,” said the Secretary of Education of Atlántico, Leyton Barrios Torres, during a visit to the affected areas.

The official stressed that it is important to maintain educational services in institutions. “Since yesterday (Tuesday) we have been working closely with the entire technical team of the Education Secretariat with support from the Risk Management Office to coordinate the delivery of infrastructure elements for educational institutions affected by the rains in the department,” he added.