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Amidst claims of a coup, thousands march the streets of Colombia in support of Gustavo Petro’s government

Protesters claim the Prosecutor’s Office and President Petro’s opposition are engaging a soft coup against the government. In addition to showing their support for Petro, protestors requested the intervention of the International Criminal Court.

David Borda

2 years ago
June 15, 2023

3 min read

Photo Gallery

Thousands of citizens gathered in the center of Bogotá to listen to President Gustavo Petro address the nation amidst the protests in the city.

Thousands of citizens gathered in the center of Bogotá to listen to President Gustavo Petro address the nation amidst the protests in the city. | Photo courtesy of David Borda

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Today’s Photo Gallery comes from David Borda of Colombia. It features the June 7 mobilization of thousands of citizens of Colombia. They marched in support of the government after citizens found out about an attempted coup by the opposition.

After different clashes between President Gustavo Petro and prosecutor Francisco Barbosa, thousands of citizens took to the streets. They expressed support for President Petro and the changes he proposes. It follows the fall of his chief of staff and his ambassador in Venezuela. Petro lost the support of Congress to approve his reforms.

The President, along with his ministers and public officials, joined crowd of protesters.

The citizens shouted slogans in opposition to the current prosecutor Francisco Barbosa. Barbosa remains close to the opposition and clashes often with President Gustavo Petro.

Protesters claim that the Prosecutor’s Office and President Petro’s opposition are using a soft coup to work against the government. In addition to showing their support for Petro, they request the intervention of the International Criminal Court.

In the midst of the current political crisis, the corporate press has played an important role. The president’s message reinforced that the opposition, corporate media like Revista Semana, and the judiciary united against the current government. “They just raided other offices of the presidency. Semana orders, and the CTI obeys. We open the doors, as we have nothing to hide,” he stated in front of thousands of people.

In recent days, the Colombian government, headed by Gustavo Petro, became embroiled in scandals. There was the loss of money in the house of his then-chief of staff Laura Sarabia. One of his employees endured polygraph questioning. Also, leaked audios from then ambassador of Venezuela Armando Benedetti alleges illegal financing of the current president’s campaign.

All of this pushed officials Laura Sarabia and Armando Benedetti to flee the government through the back door. It has left the public with a lot of questions.

Many fear current events complicate the president’s current position and pushing approval of reforms.

All photos are courtesy of David Borda.

Read more Orato stories out of Colombia.

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