PETRO TO RUBIO: COME ARREST ME IF YOU CAN!

On November 21, Colombian President Gustavo Petro blasted US military aggression in Latin America during the inauguration of the La Ladera University Multicampus in Cali.

In this clip, he specifically called out US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, telling him directly that Colombia will not kneel before US imperialism. Petro has been one of the most outspoken critics of the United States’ current regime-change coercion against Venezuela, marked by multiple unlawful attacks on small boats in the Caribbean as well as a military buildup around the country.

Petro had fallen initially at odds with Washington during the last UN summit, where he called out the US’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This led to the unprecedented step of revoking his visa and expelling the Colombian leader from the country. Since he refused to cooperate with the US in its efforts to bring down the Bolivarian government of Venezuela, the United States has also placed sanctions on Petro.

Colombia is not alone, with both Mexico and Brazil also refusing to support any US military operations in the region. This reflects a broader shift in which countries that were usually aligned with the US have turned against Washington in its effort to assert dominance in the area by making an example out of Venezuela and aiming to plunder its natural resources.

Ultimately, the US disregard for international law, multilateralism and its recurrent lies about the war on drugs have triggered a wave of condemnation against its policies in Latin America.