Madrid, May 5 The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and the leader of the far-right Spanish party Vox, Santiago Abascal, exchanged reproaches on social networks about the past of the Colombian politician, who is making a state visit to Spain.
This scuffle already began last Wednesday when the Vox deputies left the Spanish Congress at the beginning of Gustavo Petro’s speech and, later, Abascal criticized the “red carpet” being placed on him during the visit of the Colombian president, which he interpreted as the “whitewashing” of an “unrepentant terrorist”.
Specifically, the president of Vox said, in statements to journalists, that “Petro is to Colombia what Otegi is to Spain, an unrepentant terrorist”, referring to Arnaldo Otegi, considered for years the political spokesman for the terrorist group. ETA and current general coordinator of the Basque independence party EH Bildu.
A few words to which the Colombian president responded via Twitter: “This is not an insult to me, it is an insult to Colombia, given that the popular vote and the Constitution make me the representative of the Unity of the Nation.”
This Friday the leader of Vox replied: “No, you are not Colombia. Nor is Sánchez Spain. You are autocrats who arrived with deceit and who will leave with dishonor.”
The Colombian president began his first state visit to Spain last Wednesday and, as such, was received with all the honours, both by the kings, Felipe VI and Letizia, as well as by the president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, in addition to intervene before the Spanish Parliament. EFE
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