President Gustavo Petro calls for ‘army of justice’ to aid Palestine

New York City, Sept. 26 – In a powerful gathering, activists and organizers convened at the New York Society for Ethical Culture to condemn the unfolding genocide in Gaza, to expose all those complicit, and to call for direct action against the Zionist regime and the capitalist-imperialist governments that are funding, arming, and providing the colonial infrastructure necessary for the genocide to continue.

The keynote address was given by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who made connections between the resistance struggles against colonialism from Haiti to Venezuela to Palestine. Other speakers included Nadya Tannous of the Bay Area Palestinian Youth Movement and organizer of the Mask off Maersk movement, Palestinian-American human rights attorney Noura Erakat and journalist Rula Jebreal. 

The Hague Group was formed in order to coordinate international action against the apartheid government of Israel and expose those who remain complicit in these atrocities. South Africa, which represents the co-chair of the group, has charged the government of Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice.

Before attending this meeting, President Petro joined pro-Palestine demonstrators outside the U.N. He has called for the formation of an army of justice whose first mission would be the liberation of Palestine. In response to these efforts, the U.S. government has revoked his visa, highlighting its lack of commitment to international justice and human rights. In response, Petro has called for the UN General Assembly to be moved from the U.S. due to its lack of respect for international law. 

We must continue to defend Palestine and the leaders brave enough to resist the path of colonial-imperialism. Now is a time for action, and President Gustavo Petro is showing all of us the way of international solidarity. We must continue to stand firmly against the threat of fascism, and if we must pick up arms in order to defend the rights of the oppressed, then we will join the masses of the world to defeat the Zionist regime once and for all. 

“Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” – Nelson Mandela