The US Department of State announced Friday (US time) that it would be revoking Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa. The scathing announcement comes after the international leader took to the streets of New York City, joining thousands others in pro-Palestinian demonstrations right outside the United Nations.

The State Department under the Donald Trump administration attributed the forthcoming visa revocation to Petro urging “US soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence” on an New York street, according to an X statement.

Florida Senator Rick Scott wrote also voiced his concerns about Petro, a foreign national, “calling for a coup against” the US president while standing on American soil. “Enough is enough. Get Petro & his communist thugs the hell out,” he fumed.

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Gustavo Petro vs Trump: Pro-Palestinian NYC protests, visa revocation – What happened

On Friday (US time), numerous videos of Gustavo Petro leading pro-Palestinian protests in New York City made it to social media. One such clip spotted the Colombian president coming together with iconic musician Roger Waters to mobilise masses outside the United Nations while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came up to the podium to address the UN General Assembly.

On one hand, Netanyahu slammed several nations for recognising Palestinian statehood during his speech, which witnessed scores of international diplomats walking out of the UNGA. On the other, Petro didn’t just take to the streets to protest Israel’s war in Gaza, he even came out wearing a red keffiyeh, the checkered scarf associated with the Palestinian cause, at The Hague Group’s event in NYC.

Doing so, he announced his plan to invoke the UN’s ‘Uniting for Peace’ mechanism at the UNGA in an effort to protect Palestinians. Meanwhile, while he was participating in the protest outside, he said, “Human history over the millennia has shown us that when diplomacy runs out, we must move on to another phase of the struggle.”

Outrightly labelling the Gaza crisis a “genocide” and “crime against humanity,” he continued, “We respond by talking, taking to the streets… and we respond with weapons. And therefore, it is necessary to configure a more powerful army than that of the United States and Israel combined,” according to a video BTnewsroom shared on X.

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Petro speaks out against Trump

While addressing the UNGA on September 24, Petro went to condemn US missile strikes and migrant abuse, accusing President Trump of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza. Petro even called for “criminal proceedings” against him over the strikes in Caribbean, which the White House claims to have targeted as they were reportedly carrying drugs.

“Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, who are from the US, even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump,” he said at the time, insisting that the people on the boat were not members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang or drug traffickers.

However, what particularly ticked off the US government this week was that he called American Service members to openly disobey orders and rise up against Trump. Additionally, he urged the United States and other Western countries to stop supporting Israel altogether.