PRO PALESTINIAN MOB ATTACKS CHURCHES ACROSS COLOMBIA IN COORDINATED ASSAULT
On October 7, 2025, as thousands marched through Bogota expressing solidarity with Palestine in government sanctioned demonstrations, hooded individuals attacked Iglesia Dios Esta Formando Un Pueblo, breaking windows, dumping garbage at the entrance, and spray painting anti Israel and anti American slogans on the church facade while nine staff members remained locked inside.
IDEFUP, a church with 1,500 parishioners and 38 years of history, uses a blue Star of David with a globe at its center as its logo. Pastor and Bogota city council member Marco Acosta Rico stated
"It was deeply painful and disappointing to witness an act of disrespect committed by people influenced by antisemitic rhetoric. This event not only affected my family and me but also had a profound impact on our entire congregation."
Multiple churches across Colombia were targeted during pro Palestinian protests called for by the national government last month. In Medellin and Bucaramanga, media reported that protesters vandalized religious buildings along demonstration routes, including evangelical churches.
On October 24, students damaged the cloister and plaza of Santo Domingo, a site next to a Catholic church in the historic center of Popayan in southwest Colombia.
When members of the mayoral office and local residents tried to protect the Santo Domingo site, students threw paint in their faces, shoved and pushed them, and shouted insults. The Dominican order built the structure in 1589. The Permanent Board for Holy Week stated:
"The damage was not only physical, they also attacked the memory and identity that belong to us all."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the country's first left wing president and a former M 19 guerrilla leader, has called on the United Nations to create an army to liberate Palestine, banned coal sales to Israel, broke off diplomatic relations with the country, and appointed anti Zionist Richard Gamboa as director of the Interior Ministry's Office of Religious Affairs.
Colombia's Jewish community does not recognize Gamboa as a rabbi, as he reportedly purchased his rabbinical degree for $160 from a Florida institution.
Petro called citizens to join pro Palestinian demonstrations on the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, bringing students, artists, and social groups onto the streets alongside masked groups that destroyed ATMs, smashed shop windows, and painted or destroyed monuments.
Marcos Peckel, executive director of the Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia, stated
"The demonstrations, not only here but in various parts of the world, have become exhibitions of hatred against Israel, against Jews, against the West, against the United States, against Europe, and against all those they consider allies or friends of Israel, and churches are part of that group."
Acosta told a local news radio station that when he called the police emergency line the day after the protest, "the local commander told us that the National Government had given orders not to take action." Under the mayor's orders, the national prosecutor is investigating. In Popayan, police have not yet made any arrests for the vandalism.
The Evangelical Confederation of Colombia demanded concrete measures from the government, including greater police presence during demonstrations, coordination between march organizers and churches, and protocols to protect places of worship during mass events.
Acosta said volunteers from their church cleaned up the trash and painted over the graffiti covered walls and doors. On October 12, the first Sunday after the vandalism, assistant pastor Jeisson Camacho told those who came to church, "Thank you for being here. Thank you for understanding that gathering together is part of a life of surrender, a life of obedience, and a life of sacrifice."
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
A leftist president orders Christians attacked.
Gustavo Petro, former guerrilla terrorist, gave the green light. His government told police to stand down while mobs vandalized churches. This wasn't random violence. This was state sanctioned persecution.
Pro Palestinian protests worldwide have become cover for attacking Christians, Jews, and Western civilization itself. Colombia proves the pattern: radical leftists in power, Christian churches targeted, police ordered not to respond.
The church with a Star of David logo got hit because it identifies with biblical Israel. That's enough to make you a target under Petro's regime.
Meanwhile, Christians cleaned up the garbage and returned to worship. No riots. No revenge. Just faithfulness under fire.
TAKE ACTION
1. International Christian Concern: Support persecuted Colombian Christians at www.persecution.org or call +1 (800) 422 5441.
2. Contact Colombian Embassy: Demand protection for churches and religious freedom. US Embassy: +1 (202) 387 8338 or email [email protected].
3. Voice of the Martyrs: Fund emergency relief for attacked churches in Colombia at www.persecution.com or call +1 (918) 337 8015.
4. Raise awareness: Share this story and tag international religious freedom organizations. Use hashtag #ColombiaPersecution to expose state sanctioned attacks on Christians.
5. Pray strategically: Intercede for Colombian believers facing government enabled violence and for President Petro's salvation.
