Violence erupted in a Miami supermarket over the weekend after migrants campaigned against a peace process near a voter registration booth.
A supporter of the opposition led by controversial former President Alvaro Uribe said in a video recorded at a local hospital that he would file charges over the incident.
The peace process with the Marxist rebels is controversial, particularly among conservative voters.
Opposition supporter Mario Gallo was the first to report the violence. He claimed security personnel violently removed him from the Bodegon supermarket.
Gallo said that he and other opponents of the process were gathering signatures for a referendum that seeks to sink a war crimes tribunal.
Estaba con unos compatriotas en el parqueadero del bodegón en West Palm Beach recogiendo firmas para el referendo derogatorio, y la consul de Colombia en Miami mando al dueño Carlos Mario que me sacaran del parqueadero, saque mi telefono para grabar y me lo raparon y me pegaron. pic.twitter.com/faUVI9EBhm
— Mario Gallo. ULTOV 84 (@Setulus1) December 2, 2017
The Foreign Ministry responded on Monday, releasing a statement from the consulate in Miami, which accused the opposition supporter of aggression against the owner of the supermarket where the voter registration was taking place.
According to the consulate, the opposition supporters were gathering signatures “inside the facilities” of the supermarket and were accusing officials of wrongdoings.
One citizen “reacted aggressively against the owner of the supermarket and was retained by security personnel of the establishment as seen in the videos analyzed by the police.”
Comunicado de prensa del Consulado de Colombia en Miami https://t.co/QBqGDk9diL pic.twitter.com/T2EQ0jkKaO
— Cancillería Colombia (@CancilleriaCol) December 4, 2017
According to the consulate, the voter registration processes will continue as normal in spite of the incident.
