Outgoing President Petro calls for nationwide mobilization as new legislature takes office.
On Monday, Colombians are marking the 216th anniversary of their Independence Day with social demonstrations and cultural activities aimed at highlighting a range of citizens’ demands.
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Using social media, Colombia’s outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, invited citizens to take part in a nationwide mobilization on July 20. He urged people to take to the streets to demonstrate in support of the social reforms promoted during his administration. The call comes on the same day the legislature for the 2026-2030 term is set to be installed.
“On this July 20, I await you in every public square across Colombia to deliver the Second Cry for National Independence,” he said, referring to the need to overcome new forms of Colombians’ subjugation to foreign empires.
“Let’s do it in a joyful and peaceful manner, honoring the soldier, the patrol officer and those who work in the countryside and the city. With culture and without narco-culture,” Petro said, while anticipating what would happen during the incoming government of far-right politician Bernardo de la Espriella.
“Since the Foolish Fatherland and the theft of Panama, national sovereignty will not be assaulted as much as in the days to come. There will be plundering of oil and gold. And they will unleash violence. But the free people will prevail, and Colombia will be free, just, and beautiful,” he concluded.
Desde tempranas horas, familias bogotanas se reúnen en Ciudad Bolívar para conmemorar el Día de la Independencia de Colombia. Allí acompañan el desfile militar y la presencia del presidente Gustavo Petro. pic.twitter.com/rBICkhsKWK
— teleSUR Colombia (@teleSURColombia) July 20, 2026
The text reads, “From early morning, families from Bogota gathered in Bolivar City to commemorate Colombia’s Independence Day. There, they watched the military parade and the presence of President Gustavo Petro.”
On July 20, 1810, an extraordinary town council signed the Act of Independence in the city of Santa Fe (now known as Bogota), marking the beginning of the insurgent movement that led to the independence of the Colombian nation.
The extraordinary town council met at 6 p.m. in response to the political crisis that had affected the Spanish monarchy since 1808 and established an autonomous government, thereby laying the foundations for definitive emancipation from the Spanish Crown.
As part of the 2026 commemorations, the traditional Independence Day military and police parade will be held in Bogota’s Bolivar City. The schedule of activities includes events such as “Thank You Very Much, President!,” a cultural event to be held in the Villa Ximena neighborhood.
Organized by the Historical Pact, the march titled “On July 20, Civil Disobedience Takes to the Streets!” will depart from different parts of the city before concluding at Bolivar Square.
The mobilization titled “Southeast for the Defense of Colombia,” promoted by Alliance for Life and the Popular Pact for the Defense of Colombia, will depart from the San Cristobal area and head toward Bolivar Square. At the technological campus of the District University, the M-19 Movement called for a demonstration under the slogan “For Dignity, Justice and Social Transformation.”
The Colombian Federation of Education Workers (FECODE) also held the rally “Free and Sovereign Colombia” at 11 a.m. at El Ensueño Shopping Center.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: El Expectador – teleSUR
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