Laura Gallego Solís, queen of Antioquia, sparked controversy by asking on television to choose who to shoot first between Medellín's former mayor Daniel Quintero and President Gustavo Petro. After the scandal, she resigned from her title, defending her freedom of expression. The incident fueled debates on hate speech in social media and outlets.
Laura Gallego Solís's comment occurred during a television appearance where, addressing a right-wing supporter, she suggested choosing between Daniel Quintero Calle, former mayor of Medellín, and Gustavo Petro Urrego, president of the Republic, for an act of violence. Fortunately, both leaders remain unharmed, preventing the 'aggressive language that incites violence' from escalating to real events, as discussed on LA NACIÓN Stereo 104.3 FM on November 4 in Neiva. Lawyer José Joaquín Cuervo, the program's host, warned: “It is aggressive language that incites violence. There is a violent use of language”, citing Hannah Arendt on human individuality.
In her resignation letter, Gallego rejected regrets: “A society that seeks to silence us for thinking differently perpetuates the same structure of subjugation we have fought for decades”. She added: “Those who proclaim themselves defenders of freedom are scandalized when a woman exercises it”. Finally, she stated: “I refuse to be part of a system that demands obedience instead of independent thought. I refuse to let a crown become a gag”.
This episode reflects Colombia's historical political tension. In 1935, Alfonso López Pumarejo lamented in a letter to the Conservative directory the 'passionate modality of the Colombian temperament' and the spread of 'circular lies'. Mariano Ospina Pérez, in 1946, warned: “Parties are not, cannot be, schools of hate, inflamed factions disputing without quarter the possession of public power”. Enrique Santos Montejo (Calibán), in 1951, linked freedom of expression to preventing horrors like wars.
Later figures like Carlos Lleras Restrepo in 1967 defended the press without censorship, despite criticisms. Misael Pastrana Borrero in 1977 highlighted the 'audiovisual revolution' as a medium of global influence. Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento saw television as a 'powerful instrument of political orientation'. These references underscore how media have evolved from sectarian hatred in mass press to threats on social networks, exacerbating ideological divides.