Colombia's president slams Elon Musk

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro lashed out Thursday against US billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of the social media network X, accusing him of being pro-Nazi and saying that "at any time" he could close his account on the platform, which has become his favorite forum for expressing his opinion on issues in Colombia and the world.

"Now, networks, having demonstrated their alternative capacity around the world, are being bought by the richest people in the world, as they did in Colombia. Now, where I speak, there is a man who is pro-Nazi, Elon Musk," said Petro in a speech given at a meeting of alternative, community and digital media in Armenia, the capital of the Quindio department.

“At any moment he closes my account, then the thesis of (former Chilean dictator Augusto) Pinochet (of) silence before barbarism applies,” he added.

In recent months, Musk has not shied away from sharing his views on politics, often targeting US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Brazilian government.

The 53-year-old businessman has endorsed former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump in the upcoming US presidential election and has repeatedly attacked Democratic candidate Harris.

He also had a public spat with Maduro, who was declared the winner of last month's disputed presidential election. Shortly after, the head of state signed a decree blocking access to X.​​​​​​​

Recently, the Brazilian government blocked X, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps after Musk refused to name a legal representative to the country.