Juan Manuel Galán criticized Gustavo Petro for allegations to RCN columnist

Juan Manuel Galán was one of the political leaders who criticized the use of the term “Neo-Nazi”, used by Gustavo Petro to refer to an opinion column published on RCN Radio.

Through Twitter, the presidential candidate of the Historical Pact wrote “Neo-Nazis in RCN” and inserted content from that media outlet in which the column of David Ghitis, a renowned right-wing activist, was disseminated.

The column headline reads “On several occasions, the 12-year-old candidate for the presidency has released threats against private property” with a reference to the activist's Twitter account.

Petro's response, published after 7:30 a.m., exceeded RT 3,400, becoming the political theme of the day in Colombia by the two sectors in dispute over Casa de Nariño.

On the one hand, the right repudiated the use of the term, given that Ghitis is a recognized member of the Jewish community, which was the first to hear Gustavo Petro's proposals when he was a pre-candidate in 2021.

In response, supporters of the Historical Pact, along with the leader of Colombia Humana, criticized different opinions of Ghitis on social media.

The debate prompted a statement by the Foundation for Press Freedom that rejected Gustavo Petro's opinion demanding that he “respect the opinions of the press”.

Faced with this scenario, Juan Manuel Galán, leader of the New Liberalism and member of the Green Hope Coalition, joined the chorus of criticism against Gustavo Petro whom he questioned for his statement considering it one of the worst that the 2022 Elections campaign brought:

“Election campaigns always bring out the best and worst in human nature. If this is the case in the campaign, imagine it in power. Here is a demonstration of the worst,” wrote Galán, who placed second in the interparty consultation of the Green Alliance with 487,019 votes.

Since that election, the politician has argued that the polarization between the two disputed ideological shores could favor the campaign of Sergio Fajardo, who defeated him on March 13. Regarding this idea, this is what Galán stated in an interview for SEMANA:

“In this time of campaign we went all over the country and understood the people on the street, the social fabric of each region... is that people want change (...) and people also have an aversion to Petro.”

Other reactions to Gustavo Petro's statements

Through its director, José Manuel Restrepo, Noticias RCN published a video released in its central broadcast containing the following message:

“You cannot use the expression 'Neo-Nazis in RCN' and think that this does not immediately put the lives of those who work in this media outlet at risk. We tell candidate Gustavo Petro from RCN that democracy and freedom of the press cannot be mistreated.”

On the other hand, the elected Senator Miguel Turbay spoke at night last Monday to criticize Petro. Turbay, whose record vote at the top of the Democratic Center lists allowed him to win a seat for the 2022-2026 legislative term, wrote:

“Don't forget: Petro aims to end private property and freedom of expression. Petro is sectarian, promotes violence and impunity, despises democracy and freedom, pursues opposition, is despotic, arrogant and vain. So who is the neo-Nazi?”

Senator Gustavo Petro not only demanded that FLIP respect his good name, but also used his Twitter channel to release voices that supported his opinion regarding the episode with RCN:

“It seems that @FLIP_org doesn't know who Githis is, nor what it has done from that account in the last 4 or more years. I say this because in their thread they don't mention or give context of what the attacked communicator is doing or who is,” wrote user Camilo Andrés García (@hyperconectado).

Petro also influenced another virtual debate, this time against Marbelle, who used racist terms against her presidential formula Francia Márquez.

In Context | Gustavo Petro responded to the racist attacks by Marbelle against Francia Márquez - Infobae

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