Colombia’s President Petro in hot water over ‘Heil Hitler’ tweet

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has found himself at the center of a fresh international scandal after tweeting “Heil Hitler” on Sunday.

The South American statesman made the remark in response to an op-ed in favor of right-wing presidential hopeful Abelardo de la Espriella.

The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations has demanded Petro apologize before he chairs the organization’s Security Council meeting on Wednesday, marking the latest international scandal caused by Petro’s off-the-cuff tweets.

The president made the controversial remark in response to an X post by Colombian newspaper El Espectador sharing a quote from an op-ed: “Colombia doesn’t need more rhetoric; it needs order, authority and economic freedom.”

The article, titled “Abelardo: The Surgeon Colombia Needs,” was written by journalist Felipe Zuleta Lleras. It consisted of a text written by Google’s Artificial Intelligence, Gemini, prefaced by Zuleta’s words, “I co-wrote this column with Gemini AI. I simply asked it a question, and this is what it said. Since I agree with it completely, I endorse it in its entirety.”

It is unclear what the prompt was, but the response endorsed de la Espriella over his rival, leftist Ivan Cepeda, who is Petro’s chosen successor.

The president’s controversial response to the article seemed to take aim at the column’s calls for order and authority, which Petro appeared to compare to the totalitarian regime under Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

But the post has been condemned both inside Colombia and abroad as insensitive.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, slammed Petro’s language in an X post on Sunday night.

“President of Colombia, @petrogustavo, whatever is going on in your personal life, there are lines that must never be crossed. Using Nazi slogans is a disgraceful low from which there is no coming back,” he posted. “I hope you come to your senses and apologize before this Wednesday, when you are scheduled to preside over the debate at the United Nations Security Council.”

Petro has not offered an apology, nor has he deleted the controversial tweet.

“Gustavo Petro has made Elon Musk’s X the main stage for his political leadership,” said Miguel Jaramillo Lujan, a Colombian political strategist.

With 8.6 million followers, Petro’s account is one of the most popular among the international left. “He understands that… both support and controversy generate political visibility,” said Jaramillo, “but that strategy has also come at a significant cost.”

It is not the first time Petro has landed in hot water over his posts on X.

The president has on multiple occasions drawn the ire of the Donald Trump administration over posts criticizing Washington’s policy in Latin America.

Petro’s tweets have also triggered diplomatic disputes with fellow South American countries.

Ecuador recalled its ambassador to Colombia in April after Petro accused the government of mistreating jailed ex-president Jorge Glas, who he described as a “political prisoner.”

In May, Bolivia dismissed Colombia’s ambassador to the country after Petro endorsed anti-government protests, calling them a “popular insurrection.”

Petro’s latest controversial tweet comes amid a heated presidential run-off race. Trump-backed de la Espriella pledges an iron fist to restore security in Colombia, as well as slashing government spending, increasing fossil fuel extraction, and promoting traditional family values.

His opponent, Cepeda, pledges to continue Petro’s pro-worker reforms.