Colombian President Gustavo Petro has dismissed the decision of United States President Donald Trump’s administration to revoke his visa over his criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza, saying that Washington “no longer respects international law”.

“I no longer have a visa to travel to the United States. I don’t care. I don’t need a visa … because I’m not only a Colombian citizen but a European citizen, and I truly consider myself a free person in the world,” Petro wrote on X on Saturday.

“Revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the US no longer respects international law,” he added.

The US Department of State announced in a social media post on Friday that it had stripped Petro of his US visa, citing his “reckless and incendiary actions” in relation to a speech he gave to protesters outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The post did not provide specific details on Petro’s alleged offence, but footage circulated on social media earlier on Friday showed the Colombian leader joining thousands of pro-Palestine protesters outside the UN building in Midtown Manhattan.

Petro returned to Colombia on Saturday as intended, saying he found out about his visa status upon arrival.

In a post on social media, he said: ” International law grants me immunity to go to the UN and that there should be no reprisals for my free opinion, because I am a free person”.

“International law is the wisdom of humanity and it protects me. Genocide is a crime against humanity and humanity must respond, judge, and punish,” he said.

“Mr. Trump has violated the founding principles of the UN,” he added, saying the Qatari capital, Doha, would be a better place for the UN’s headquarters.

“Time to go to a more democratic place,” Petro said.

‘Liberation of Palestine’

In one video clip posted on Friday from a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City, Petro can be heard saying that Colombia plans to present a resolution to the UN seeking to establish an “army for the salvation of the world”, whose first job would be the “liberation of Palestine”.

In an unofficial translation of his speech to protesters, Petro said that world nations will contribute soldiers to the army, which will “enforce the orders of international justice”, and that it must be “larger” than the US military.

“I ask all of the soldiers of the army of the US not to point their guns at humanity. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity,” the Colombian leader said.

Translation: In New York, President @PetroGustavo, along with the British musician @rogerwaters, accompanied the demonstration in support of Palestine. There, the leader announced that he would present to the UN a resolution seeking the creation of a “World Salvation Army”, whose first task would be the liberation of Palestine.

Huge protests took place outside the UN headquarters on Friday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the fourth day of the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) General Debate.

The Israeli leader delivered a bombastic speech as he told world leaders that Israel must be allowed to “finish the job” in Gaza – where the Israeli army has been accused of perpetrating genocide – and lambasted Western states for their “disgraceful decision” to recognise a Palestinian state.

Petro also hit out at Trump in his speech to the UNGA on Tuesday, saying the US leader was “complicit in genocide” in Gaza.

The Colombian president also called for “criminal proceedings” over US air attacks on boats in Caribbean waters, which Washington has accused of trafficking drugs.

The left-wing leader, who came to power in 2022, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, which he has repeatedly condemned as a “genocide”.

Petro severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024, citing the actions of its “genocidal” government in Gaza, including attacks on Palestinian aid seekers, which he said were reminiscent of the Holocaust.

In July, he also reimposed a total ban on coal exports to Israel, saying that Colombia “will not be complicit” in Israel’s genocide.