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The "Bolivarian Sword" suddenly appeared at the inauguration of the Colombian president, and the king of Spain did not stand up and applaud to cause controversy

author:Observer.com

On August 7, local time, Colombia held the inauguration ceremony of the new president Gustavo Petro, and the leaders of many South American countries and King Felipe VI of Spain were invited to attend. However, an unexpected "interlude" at the ceremony caused controversy in Spanish politics.

According to the Spanish "National Newspaper" reported on the 8th, at the inauguration ceremony held on the 7th, the Colombian honor guard carried the glass cabinet containing the "Bolivarian Sword" to the scene. When the sword, which symbolized the overthrow of Spanish colonial rule in South America, appeared, almost all the dignitaries present stood up and applauded, but Felipe VI did not get up, and he remained upright and did not applaud.

The "Bolivarian Sword" suddenly appeared at the inauguration of the Colombian president, and the king of Spain did not stand up and applaud to cause controversy

Video screenshots

The move caused a fierce spat in Spanish politics. Left-wing parties believe that the move is disrespectful to Colombia and detrimental to the image of the Spanish state; Right-wingers insisted that Felipe VI had not violated etiquette and that his actions were "not controversial."

The "Bolivarian Sword" suddenly appeared at the inauguration of the Colombian president, and the king of Spain did not stand up and applaud to cause controversy

El País: Felipe VI's decision not to erect the "Bolivarian Sword" has sparked controversy

Colombia's "Bolivarian Sword" is one of the swords used by the Liberator of South America, Simon Bolívar, who led the South American War of Independence in the early 19th century, overthrew Spanish colonial rule, and was hailed as a national hero and liberator in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and other countries.

This sword has also experienced many twists and turns. According to public information, in 1974, Colombian M19 guerrillas, under the slogan of anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism and the establishment of a democratic regime, stole the "Bolivarian sword" from the museum. It was not until 1990, after the M19 guerrillas were involved in the peace process and disbanded, that antonio Navarro, the leader of the movement, returned the sword to the Colombian government.

It is worth mentioning that the newly appointed Colombian President Petro was a member of the M19 guerrilla group, and was arrested by the then Colombia in 1985 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. In his autobiography, Petro said his views on "struggle" had changed in prison, believing that "armed revolution was not the best strategy to win popular support" and that he began to seek "another path of struggle" after his release from prison in 1987.

However, the presentation of the "Bolivarian Sword" was not planned for the inauguration. As early as the preparatory stages of the inauguration, Petro wanted to bring the highly symbolic Bolivarian sword to the ceremony site, but former President Duque rejected the request on the grounds of "security risks" before leaving office.

But Petro did not give up on that effort. Immediately after being formally sworn in, Petro ordered in his capacity as President of Colombia at the ceremony asking the Presidential Guard to bring the "Bolivarian Sword" to the scene for display. The National newspaper said that the appearance of the sword won the cheers of the people at the scene, and also extended the inauguration ceremony by more than half an hour.

The "Bolivarian Sword" suddenly appeared at the inauguration of the Colombian president, and the king of Spain did not stand up and applaud to cause controversy

The honor guard carries a glass cabinet containing the "Bolivar Sword" into the ceremony scene Pictured from the surging image

In a warm atmosphere, almost all the dignitaries invited to attend also stood up and applauded to greet the "Bolivarian Sword". But King Felipe VI of Spain was an exception, who did not get up or applaud, but sat in his seat and watched the sword enter.

According to the Spanish newspaper Le Monde, the Colombian government did not criticize Felipe VI's behavior, but some Colombians expressed dissatisfaction on social media, believing that Felipe VI did not show due respect. The report also mentioned that when other South American leaders spoke about the King of Spain, many Colombians booed.

But Felipe VI's move sparked a heated squabble in Spanish politics. The left-wing party "Podemos" slammed this move as disrespectful to Colombia, and posted on social media on the 9th: "The 'Bolivarian sword' represents the sovereignty of Latin America." Felipe VI was the only head of state to sit upright at the inauguration, which is a gross act of disrespect that our country needs to apologize for. ”

Pablo Iglesias, the founder of the "We Can" party, also said on the same day that Felipe VI did not represent the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, but for the whole of Spain, "which exacerbated the lack of respect for latin American symbols of freedom." ”

But Spain's right-wing party rejected these views, insisting on defending the king's actions. Spain's largest opposition party, the People's Party, believes that Felipe VI's actions are "strictly respectful of etiquette and uncontroversial". BJP Rep. Jaime de Olano also declared it unacceptable for a large number of government officials to engage in bashing the king, "never seen in any country." ”

The Spanish royal family remains silent on the matter, and the Spanish government is trying to downplay the impact of the incident. Isetta, Minister of Culture and Sports, argued that the appearance of the "Bolivarian Sword" was an ad hoc decision made by the Colombian president and was not planned for the inauguration, so Felipe VI could not determine what kind of courtesy to give him. He opposed an apology to the Colombian government and called on Spanish politicians not to hype the topic again.

This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.

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