Colombia’s president tweets ‘Heil Hitler’ over column endorsing right-wing candidate

The column in the Colombian daily El Espectador supported presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and condemned Iván Cepeda, the candidate of the left-wing coalition backed by Petro.

By Etgar Lefkovits, JNS

Colombia’s outgoing left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, on Sunday posted “Heil Hitler” in response to an op-ed column supporting the right-wing candidate in this month’s presidential runoff vote.

The inflammatory rhetoric was widely condemned ahead of the June 21 election, where the opposition conservative candidate is the front-runner.

“The president of Colombia posted, ‘Heil Hitler.’ In 2026,” the New York-based Anti-Defamation League tweeted on X.

“An elected head of state shouldn’t have to be told why posting a Nazi slogan is monstrous and unacceptable. There is no excuse for it and no context that justifies it.”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon wrote, “President of Colombia @petro gustavo, even in the situation you’re in, there are lines that aren’t crossed. Using Nazi slogans is a low that there’s no coming back from.”

He continued: “I hope that you’ll manage to pull yourself together and apologize by next Wednesday, when you’re supposed to lead the discussion in the UN Security Council.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry tweeted on Monday, “A total loss of moral compass and an indelible stain on Colombia’s legacy.”

The column in the Colombian daily El Espectador supported presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and condemned Iván Cepeda, the candidate of the left-wing coalition backed by Petro.

Petro severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024 over the Gaza war triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and expelled Israeli diplomats from the South American country.

De la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer and political outsider nicknamed “El Tigre,” or “The Tiger,” who topped the first round of voting after securing the backing of conservative and evangelical groups, pledged during the election campaign to open an embassy in Jerusalem and renew a strategic alliance with Israel.

The vote could herald another gain for the right-wing wave sweeping across Latin America, whose leaders share U.S. President Donald Trump’s tough approach in dealing with drug traffickers, and offer a marked shift in foreign alliances.