BOGOTA

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Friday criticized the removal of a group of students from the university's conference hall for raising the Palestinian flag.

Sharing footage of the moment when students raised the Palestinian flag on social media platform X, he stressed "freedom."

"We have diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine, and like the flag of any state with which we establish diplomatic relations, respect must be shown for its flag.

"Colombia is a country of freedoms and rights. There is no place for censorship in a state university. Culture and freedom are synonymous,” Petro said.

The footage shows a group of students raising a large Palestinian flag during a concert by a symphony orchestra in the conference hall of the National University of Colombia. Security personnel then intervene as students shout slogans in support of Palestine.

Petro announced on Oct. 20 last year that Colombia would open an embassy in the West Bank city of Ramallah.