Colombia president provokes disgust by posing with bodies of ‘terrorists’
Abelardo De La Espriella posts video of himself with rows of body bags as performative populism continues to sweep Americas
TL;DR
- Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella posted a video showing him among body bags of 23 "neutralised" guerrillas.
- De La Espriella vowed "all-out war" against illegal armed groups and stated the video fulfilled his pledge.
- The footage was condemned by human rights activists and political opponents, who labeled it "necropolitics" and a display of soullessness.
- Critics compared the act to the performative political style of other rightwing populists in the Americas, such as Nayib Bukele and Donald Trump.
- De La Espriella defended his actions, stating that forgiving terrorists is God's business, while sending them to meet him is the president's job.