Colombian Judge Halts Museum Purge as Court Protects 30 Exhibits Removed in 'Culture War'

Colombia's conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered the Culture Ministry to strip the National Museum in Bogotá — the country's largest and oldest museum — of more than 30 exhibition items related to LGBTQ+ history, feminist struggles, the 2016 peace agreement with FARC rebels and left-wing political leaders who were killed. Removed objects included a copy of the first magazine published by Colombia's LGBTQ+ community, a pen used to sign the FARC peace deal, and a campaign poster of former guerrilla leader Carlos Pizarro. De la Espriella called it a 'cultural battle' against 'wokeism,' claiming the extreme left had permeated cultural and academic institutions for decades. Protesters gathered outside the museum on two consecutive days (17 and 18 October) and were dispersed by riot police using tear gas and water cannon. On 20 October, a judge issued a provisional ruling, demanded by the Patriotic Union party and the activist groups León Zuleta and Revolución en Rosa, ordering the government to preserve the removed items and refrain from stripping any further exhibits, on the grounds that Colombians' rights to free expression and historical memory were being jeopardised. The ruling was published the same day by the Associated Press and widely syndicated worldwide.