Two dozen lawmakers from 14 Latino countries have joined the growing international backlash against Colombia’s outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, for posting “Heil Hitler” in response to an op-ed column in support of the right-wing presidential candidate.
The push-back follows earlier condemnation of the inflammatory rhetoric by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside leading American Jewish organizations.
The parliamentarians from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay said Tuesday that the use of expressions associated with Nazism is improper in democratic debate and must be condemned, especially when it comes from a head of state.
They noted that the incident cannot be viewed in isolation, given that the left-wing leader has repeatedly used references or allusions to Nazism when referring to opponents, critics, and media outlets.
“The use of references to Nazism must not become a rhetorical tool to discredit political or ideological positions,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement initiated by the Combat Antisemitism Movement. “Democratic leaders have a responsibility to promote a respectful public debate that is conscious of the weight of words.”
Historians have repeatedly cautioned that such comparisons contribute to trivializing the crimes of the Nazi regime and distorting Holocaust memory.
The incident comes just two weeks before the runoff elections in the South American nation, where the opposition conservative candidate has emerged as the front-runner in the race.
