Colombia opposition groups launch protest against de la Espriella’s cuts

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and AP. Published On 14 Oct 202614 Oct 2026.

Key points

• According to A number of, de la Espriella's actions towards Israel mirrored Trump's, who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem during his first term in 2018.
• Thousands marched in major cities including the capital Bogota on Wednesday, the first day of a nationwide campaign led by the country's former left-wing President Gustavo Petro.
• On Wednesday, de la Espriella's administration opened a Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, a controversial move as Israel and Palestine have both maintained parts of the city.
• As an effort to ignore accusations of Israeli abuses against Palestinians, that struck protesters like Jimena Rodriguez, a 20-year-old student.
• President de la Espriella "just wants to hand the country over to the United States, to Israel, " Rodriguez remarked.

For context, a coalition of opposition parties, trade unions, indigenous groups and social movements has protested in Colombia against a series of economic and security policies advanced under right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella.

Under Petro, Colombia expanded access to public universities, rose the minimum wage and improved labour protections for workers.

As de la Espriella's administration embraces cuts to administration programmes, opposition groups say plenty of of those reforms are now under threat.

Colombia's Congress has until Tuesday to approve its 2027 fiscal year budget. But as part of the new administration's austerity measures, allies of de la Espriella are advancing proposals to reduce administration spending.

De la Espriella has additionally pledged to turn Colombia away from his predecessor's left-wing leanings and towards more free-market policies aligned with those of United States President Donald Trump.

For context, the administration issued new rules for police ahead of the protests, handing expanded powers to law enforcement to more swiftly accord with protesters who vandalise public property or disrupt access to essential services.

"The right to protest is respected, but there is no right to destroy, attack the security forces, assault others or sow chaos, " de la Espriella remarked in a social media statement announcing the decree.

He continued that "violence, vandalism and blockades that trample on the rights of millions of citizens will not be tolerated".

Indigenous communities and political groups in rural parts of the country sometimes block roads as part of their protests, with impediments to traffic sometimes lasting weeks.

According to But critics have, the protests this week have been largely peaceful.

Plenty of chanted "It will fall", a reference to the perceived failure of de la Espriella's administration.

In practice, a former defence lawyer and millionaire businessman, de la Espriella was a political newcomer when he ran for the presidency this year on a far-right ticket.

He was elected in a June runoff race by a narrow margin. He campaigned on a hardline platform to address crime, immigration and the economy, including proposals to expel millions of migrants from Colombia and shrink the size of the administration.

De la Espriella additionally pledged to backtrack on reforms produced under Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president. He took office in August.

Meanwhile, a former left-wing fighter-turned-politician, Petro took part in protests on Wednesday. He was not eligible for re-election in this year's presidential race; Colombian law at present caps presidents at a single term.

He wrote on social media that the mobilisations were a wake-up call "two months into the start of a tyrannical and imposed government".

Protesters additionally expressed worries regarding cuts to labour protections and healthcare under the new administration.

"I feel like we have no guarantees and that the little we did obtain. We're about to lose, " teacher Ester Guerra, 32, informed the news outlet AFP in Bogota.

Some demonstrators additionally took problem with the new administration's overtures towards Israel. A number of carried Palestinian flags, in a sign of solidarity.

Petro had been a staunch supporter of Palestine and had cut relations with Israel over its genocidal war against Gaza. But de la Espriella has moved to restore the severed ties since taking office.

President de la Espriella "just wants to hand the country over to the United States, to Israel, " Rodriguez remarked. "I feel dark times are coming."

For now, colombia opposition groups launch protest against de la Espriella's cuts remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.