Petro accuses social media platforms of censorship, warns of 'global fascism'
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused major social media platforms of censoring content featuring him and warned of what he described as a growing wave of global authoritarianism during a speech in Medellin on Wednesday.
Addressing a public event, Petro claimed that social media companies had altered their algorithms to limit the reach of posts containing his image or voice.
"I have been censored even on social media. The owners of social media platforms have put in place an algorithm so that if my face appears or if my voice appears, it is not distributed and does not reach a larger audience," he said.
The Colombian leader linked the alleged censorship to his outspoken criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, arguing that those opposing what he described as genocide were increasingly being silenced.
“Simply because I opposed a friend of theirs, the genocidal maniac who killed 20,000 babies in Gaza,” Petro said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Petro warned that the issue extended beyond Colombia, claiming that growing control over digital platforms by private technology companies posed a broader threat to democracy.
“When the private owners of artificial intelligence, and therefore of social media platforms, come together to censor someone who has opposed a genocide, we may be heading toward fascism once again, but this time on a global scale,” he stated.
The president also drew parallels between violence in Colombia and the conflict in Gaza, while criticising what he described as rising racism around the world.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
