The new president of Colombia, Gustav Petro, After his oath, he ordered to bring Bolívar’s sword, in what became the first order of his mandate, a very significant fact just in the first minutes of his administration.
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The already expressive Ivan Duke refused to grant permission to remove the badge from the Narino Palacealso in his last government decision.
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The M-19, the guerrilla that was born after Misael Pastrana Borrero won the 1970 elections arguing that they had stolen the victory from Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, promised the Colombian people that they would return their freedom.
And for this they needed a symbol, which ended up being the sword of the liberator Simón Bolívar, which rested on the Quinta de Bolívar in Bogotá and it was stolen on the night of January 17, 1974. For some, it was an act of treason against the country, for others, it was a spectacular act of the guerrilla that was characterized, at first, by giving blows of opinion.
This symbol, which was in the hands of the guerrillas for 17 years and whose whereabouts were unknown for years -even in Venezuela they dare to affirm that they have it-, became relevant again after the president-elect, Gustavo Petro, confirmed on the night of this Thursday that will be exhibited during his possession, on August 7.
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Petro, being very young, was part of this guerrilla group, and hence the importance of the sword for his life. In fact, when he was in the Casa de Nariño in a meeting with President Iván Duque a few weeks ago, the sword was one of the historical icons of the Casa de Nariño that he appreciated. It is kept in the Presidential Palace after remaining several years in a vault of the Bank of the Republic.
The robbery took place at the Museo la Quinta de Bolívar, in the center of Bogotá, and in addition to taking the sword, they did so with the silver spurs and stirrups used by the liberator. There were five men who carried out the historic robbery, considered the letter of introduction of this group and even increased the number of its militants.
This is how the M-19 turned the sword into the symbol of their movement and they said that, just as Bolívar once did, they would give Colombians their freedom.
The sword was impossible to find, the authorities were never able to find its whereabouts and there was even talk that the guerrilla leaders had given it to Fidel Castro, the icon of the Cuban revolution.
It was also said that the poet León de Greiff was in the house, also that it was in the hands of Pablo Escobar – who financed the takeover of the Palace of Justice by the M-19 – and that his son played with it. But the ex-guerrillas always denied the above.
According to the former leaders of this group, the sword was taken out of the country by the then Cuban ambassador, who took it to the island, where it was kept in the Panama sword.
It was not until January 1991 when Antonio Navarro Wolff, Otty Patiño, Germán Rojas Niño and Libardo Parra, when the guerrillas had already demobilized, that they would hand her over. And they fulfilled, they did it on January 31 of that year.
From that moment it was kept in the Banco de la República, but in 2020 it was taken to the Casa de Nariño by order of President Iván Duque.
And Colombians will be able to see it again this August 7, when Gustavo Petro takes office as president. “Not as a symbol of war, but, as its owner said, that it should only be sheathed when there is justice in Colombia,” said the future president.
ELTIEMPO.COM