When newly-inaugurated Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced upon being sworn in Monday that his first act as head of state would be to immediately summon the Espada de Bolivar, a sword representing Latin American liberation from Spanish colonialism, virtually all of the dignitaries and observers assembled reacted with jubilation. All, that is, except one: King Felipe of Spain.
The monarch sparked widespread outrage by refusing to stand as one of the historic sabers was brought onstage by a solemn Colombian color guard during Petro’s swearing-in ceremony. The sword was wielded by Latin American liberator Simón Bolívar as he freed the territories Colombia, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela from Spanish colonialism.
Thousands, including influential members of Spain’s PODEMOS party, took to social media to excoriate the Spanish royal leader for remaining seated as every other guest on stage stood in honor of the introduction of the sword of Bolivar, who, in the early 1800s, annihilated the remaining hold of the Spanish empire over Latin America–and any hopes Felipe might ultimately have had of retaining his supposed colonial ‘birthright’ over the region.
“Felipe VI did not represent the House of Bourbon today; he represented Spain,” wrote PODEMOS founder Pablo Iglesias on Monday. “That makes the lack of respect for a symbol of freedom in Latin America even more serious.”
Turning his sights on the monarchy, he added: “Hopefully soon Spain will be represented by a president or a president of the Republic voted by the citizens.”
“Bolívar's sword represents the sovereignty of Latin America. King Felipe VI was the only head of state who remained seated in its wake at the inauguration of the new President of Colombia,” reads a tweet from the official PODEMOS account. “A serious disrespect that requires apologies from our country.”
Like many of the new Colombian president’s moves, (including his push to normalize relations with neighboring Venezuela) the decision to introduce the sword was met largely with contempt and stonewalled by the outgoing regime. Due to the Duque administration’s refusal to cooperate, Petro was reportedly left with no other option but to immediately call for the saber to be delivered upon being sworn in.
Tensions over the sword run high, especially given that M-19, the socialist guerrilla group to which Petro once belonged, first made a name for itself by snatching the sword of Bolivar at gunpoint from the clutches of the Colombian army in a daring 1974 raid.
If there’s anything to be gleaned from social media reactions–which expressed near-universal disgust with Felipe’s refusal to honor the symbol of freedom–the Spanish noble is looking at a new Latin America. And this time around, it seems the shoe’s on the other foot.