Trump, I don’t like traveling to the U.S. much, it’s a bit boring, but I confess there are worthy things. I like to go to the Black neighborhoods of Washington. There, I saw a whole fight in the capital of the U.S. between Blacks and Latinos, with barricades, which seemed to me like nonsense, because they should unite.
I confess that I like Walt Whitman, Paul Simon, Noam Chomsky, and Miller.
I confess that Sacco and Vanzetti, who have my blood, in the history of the U.S., are memorable and I follow them. They were murdered for being labor leaders with the electric chair by the fascists who are inside the U.S. just as they are in my country.
I don’t like your oil, Trump, you are going to end the human species with greed. Maybe one day, along with a drink of whisky—which I accept despite my gastritis—we can talk frankly about this, but it’s difficult because you consider me an inferior race, and I am not, nor is any Colombian.
So if you are looking for a stubborn person, that’s me, period. You can try to stage a coup with your economic power and arrogance, like you did with Allende. But I will die by my law, I withstood torture, and I resist you. I don’t want slave owners on Colombia’s side, we already had many and we freed ourselves. Who I want to be on Colombia’s side are lovers of freedom. If you can’t join me, I will go elsewhere. Colombia is the heart of the world, and you didn’t understand it. This is the land of the yellow butterflies, the beauty of Remedios, but also of Colonel Aureliano Buendía, one of whom I am, perhaps the last.
You will kill me, but I will survive in my town, which came before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea, and freedom.
You don’t like our freedom, fine. I do not shake hands with white slave owners. I shake the hands of libertarian whites, heirs of Lincoln, and of the Black and white rural boys from the U.S., in front of whose graves I cried and prayed on a battlefield, which I reached after walking through the mountains of Tuscany and after saving myself from COVID.
They are the US, and before them, I kneel, before no one else.
Overthrow me president, and the Americas and humanity will respond.
Colombia, now stop looking to the north, look to the world, our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Córdoba, the civilization of that time, from the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic, democracy in Athens; our blood carries the resistant Black people who were turned into slaves by you. In Colombia lies the first free territory of the Americas, before Washington, of all the Americas, I take refuge there in their African songs.
My land is of the goldsmiths that existed in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete.
You will never dominate us. The warrior who rode our lands, shouting freedom, and who is called Bolívar, opposes you.
Our peoples are somewhat fearful, somewhat shy, they are naive and kind, lovers, but they will know how to win back the Panama Canal, which you took from us with violence. Two hundred heroes from all over Latin America lie in Bocas del Toro, now Panama, before Colombia, whom you murdered.
I raise a flag, and as Gaitán said, even if I am alone, it will remain raised with Latin American dignity, which is the dignity of America, which your great-grandfather didn’t know, but mine did, Mr. President, immigrant in the US.
Your blockade does not scare me because Colombia, in addition to being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world. I know you love beauty as I do, don’t disrespect it, and it will offer you its sweetness.
COLOMBIA FROM NOW ON FACES THE WHOLE WORLD, WITH OPEN ARMS, WE ARE BUILDERS OF FREEDOM, LIFE, AND HUMANITY.
I have been informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruit of our human labor to enter the US, I will do the same.
Let our people plant corn, which was discovered in Colombia, and feed the world.
I’m reading that Trump actually caved by sending people in non-miltary planes and not chained up which was the just the existing agreement. The pro Trump media is just spinning it as ‘Colombia caved’ to make him look good.
“I cannot force migrants to remain in a country that does not want them. But if that country returns them, it must be with dignity and respect – for both them and our nation. In civilian planes, and without treating them like criminals, we will welcome our compatriots. Colombia deserves respect.”
The Trump admin explanation doesn’t line up with the timeline of events.
Colombia sent their presidential plane to pick up citizens. The core issue here was the use of military airplanes and the treatment being dispensed to those in it, like being handcuffed.
I’m not sure where are you exactly aiming with your remark but I’m going to retort based on what I want to perceive from it.
It’s better to have national airplanes pick up your nationals than to condone allow them to be transported in military aircrafts, handcuffed and who knows what else, like criminals.
To my knowledge, Colombia refused military airplanes to land/cross their airspace, while at the same time calling out the social upturn being enacted by the new american cabinet. They denounced the attitude of a wannabe dictator, and in a very straightforward way. The rest of the world should be ashamed and banding together by now.
Disappointing but understandable since the reports are saying other government officials, including his foreign secretary had to step in. I’m sure the argument that his personal reputation or issues with Trump destroying the Colombian economy was compelling enough
Gustavo Petro’s statement, worth a read:
Trump, I don’t like traveling to the U.S. much, it’s a bit boring, but I confess there are worthy things. I like to go to the Black neighborhoods of Washington. There, I saw a whole fight in the capital of the U.S. between Blacks and Latinos, with barricades, which seemed to me like nonsense, because they should unite.
I confess that I like Walt Whitman, Paul Simon, Noam Chomsky, and Miller.
I confess that Sacco and Vanzetti, who have my blood, in the history of the U.S., are memorable and I follow them. They were murdered for being labor leaders with the electric chair by the fascists who are inside the U.S. just as they are in my country.
I don’t like your oil, Trump, you are going to end the human species with greed. Maybe one day, along with a drink of whisky—which I accept despite my gastritis—we can talk frankly about this, but it’s difficult because you consider me an inferior race, and I am not, nor is any Colombian.
So if you are looking for a stubborn person, that’s me, period. You can try to stage a coup with your economic power and arrogance, like you did with Allende. But I will die by my law, I withstood torture, and I resist you. I don’t want slave owners on Colombia’s side, we already had many and we freed ourselves. Who I want to be on Colombia’s side are lovers of freedom. If you can’t join me, I will go elsewhere. Colombia is the heart of the world, and you didn’t understand it. This is the land of the yellow butterflies, the beauty of Remedios, but also of Colonel Aureliano Buendía, one of whom I am, perhaps the last.
You will kill me, but I will survive in my town, which came before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea, and freedom.
You don’t like our freedom, fine. I do not shake hands with white slave owners. I shake the hands of libertarian whites, heirs of Lincoln, and of the Black and white rural boys from the U.S., in front of whose graves I cried and prayed on a battlefield, which I reached after walking through the mountains of Tuscany and after saving myself from COVID.
They are the US, and before them, I kneel, before no one else.
Overthrow me president, and the Americas and humanity will respond.
Colombia, now stop looking to the north, look to the world, our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Córdoba, the civilization of that time, from the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic, democracy in Athens; our blood carries the resistant Black people who were turned into slaves by you. In Colombia lies the first free territory of the Americas, before Washington, of all the Americas, I take refuge there in their African songs.
My land is of the goldsmiths that existed in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete.
You will never dominate us. The warrior who rode our lands, shouting freedom, and who is called Bolívar, opposes you.
Our peoples are somewhat fearful, somewhat shy, they are naive and kind, lovers, but they will know how to win back the Panama Canal, which you took from us with violence. Two hundred heroes from all over Latin America lie in Bocas del Toro, now Panama, before Colombia, whom you murdered.
I raise a flag, and as Gaitán said, even if I am alone, it will remain raised with Latin American dignity, which is the dignity of America, which your great-grandfather didn’t know, but mine did, Mr. President, immigrant in the US.
Your blockade does not scare me because Colombia, in addition to being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world. I know you love beauty as I do, don’t disrespect it, and it will offer you its sweetness.
COLOMBIA FROM NOW ON FACES THE WHOLE WORLD, WITH OPEN ARMS, WE ARE BUILDERS OF FREEDOM, LIFE, AND HUMANITY.
I have been informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruit of our human labor to enter the US, I will do the same.
Let our people plant corn, which was discovered in Colombia, and feed the world.
Give the man some respect.
NYTimes headline says he already caved.
I’m reading that Trump actually caved by sending people in non-miltary planes and not chained up which was the just the existing agreement. The pro Trump media is just spinning it as ‘Colombia caved’ to make him look good.
Nope.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/26/colombia-gustavo-petro-trump-deportation-flights
That article doesn’t contradict what he said.
From the article:
The Trump admin explanation doesn’t line up with the timeline of events.
Colombia sent their presidential plane to pick up citizens. The core issue here was the use of military airplanes and the treatment being dispensed to those in it, like being handcuffed.
The core issue should be the ethnic cleansing they are agreeing to participate in.
I’m not sure where are you exactly aiming with your remark but I’m going to retort based on what I want to perceive from it.
It’s better to have national airplanes pick up your nationals than to condone allow them to be transported in military aircrafts, handcuffed and who knows what else, like criminals.
To my knowledge, Colombia refused military airplanes to land/cross their airspace, while at the same time calling out the social upturn being enacted by the new american cabinet. They denounced the attitude of a wannabe dictator, and in a very straightforward way. The rest of the world should be ashamed and banding together by now.
It’s better to refuse it entirely rather than capitulate. Which is what they did. And they are now complicit in Trump’s ethnic cleansing.
So you would rather have your kin handled like waste, than secure their safe return to their country?
For what? Bragging rights? Bragging over blood? Would those be acceptable losses to further a cause?
I would rather have world leaders not be complicit in ethnic cleansing, but apparently you’re okay with it.
Disappointing but understandable since the reports are saying other government officials, including his foreign secretary had to step in. I’m sure the argument that his personal reputation or issues with Trump destroying the Colombian economy was compelling enough
How fast was that on a scale of zero to Liz Truss?
Just one awkward pause
Yep, we are in lot of troubles if this is the trend of bending the knee.
I did, it has since been rescinded.