Thousands march against Colombia's President de la Espriella as embassy opens in Jerusalem

Thousands of people marched through Bogotá and other Colombian cities on Wednesday against the economic and security policies of President Abelardo de la Espriella, in the first day of a nationwide campaign led by his left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro.

Opposition parties, trade unions, Indigenous groups, teachers and students joined the marches. Many said they feared losing the reforms of Petro’s government, which widened access to public universities, raised the minimum wage and strengthened labour protections. Congress has until Tuesday to approve the budget for 2027, and the president’s allies are pushing proposals to cut government spending, including on health care.

“I feel like we have no guarantees and that the little we did obtain ... we’re about to lose,” said Ester Guerra, a 32-year-old teacher.

Petro, who cannot stand again because Colombian presidents are limited to a single term, called the marches a wake-up call “two months into the start of a tyrannical and imposed government”.

De la Espriella, a former defence lawyer and businessman who won a narrow run-off in June on a hard-right platform, issued new rules before the protests giving police wider powers to act against people who damage public property or disrupt essential services. “The right to protest is respected, but there is no right to destroy, attack the security forces, assault others or sow chaos,” he wrote. Critics said the marches were largely peaceful.

On the same day, Colombia opened an embassy in Jerusalem, a city both Israelis and Palestinians claim. Petro had cut ties with Israel over the war in Gaza; de la Espriella has moved to restore them since taking office in August. Some marchers carried Palestinian flags.