Peru’s unicameral Congress has voted to declare Colombian President Gustavo Petro “persona non grata” for comments made about the Peruvian National Police (PNP). At a police mobilization in downtown Lima, while unions and social organizations were protesting against President Dina Boluarte, Petro compared the PNP to Nazi troops, which has generated great controversy in Peru.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Peruvian Parliament issued a statement in response, stating that “no one can offend them [the PNP] by saying that they are Nazi troops.” Subsequently, Congress approved a resolution banning Petro, the first leftist head of state in Colombian history, from entering Peruvian territory.
The resolution was approved with 72 votes in favor, 29 votes against, and 7 abstentions. The Peruvian Parliament considered Petro’s statements to be “unacceptable” and “constitute an offense to the Police of Peru, to the Republic of Peru, and, by trivializing the Holocaust, also constitute an offense to the entire Jewish people.”
It should be noted that Petro, together with the governments of Mexico, Bolivia, and Argentina, expressed their support for Pedro Castillo, who has been under arrest since he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree, which triggered a wave of demonstrations that left more than 50 people dead. In addition, the Peruvian Congress had already approved a motion rejecting “interference” in the internal affairs of the country by Petro and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who also granted asylum to Castillo’s family.