Colombia’s Far Right Sees an Earthquake as an Opportunity
The response of Colombia’s new leader, Abelardo de la Espriella, to a deadly earthquake has been tawdry beyond belief. The reactionary president has used the disaster for publicity stunts and will only accept overseas aid from his far-right allies.
Since an earthquake hit western Colombia, the region is taking center stage for the new administration of Abelardo de la Espriella as it reverses Gustavo Petro’s redistributive policies and seeks to refound Colombia as a bastion of far-right politics. (Cesar Queiroz / AFP via Getty Images)
On August 10, western Colombia was rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Images of collapsed buildings and ordinary citizens organizing to remove the rubble quickly circulated on social media and through news agencies. Cali, the region’s largest city, quickly became the week’s trending topic.
This came just three days after the country’s far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella had taken power in a highly divisive and militarized spectacle held at a military base in the city, which voted overwhelmingly for his leftist competitor Iván Cepeda. Now after the earthquake, Cali and western Colombia are taking center stage in the administration’s reversal of Gustavo Petro’s redistributive policies and its attempt to refound Colombia as a bastion of far-right politics.
The Initial Response
Instead of coordinating international support for those affected by the earthquake, de la Espriella’s foreign ministry sent shockwaves through much of the diplomatic community by releasing a statement that legitimized Israel’s occupation of Syrian territory in the Golan Heights. This made it one of only two countries to do so — the other being the United States.
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