“In every popular neighborhood of Colombia there is a Brayan that takes women, leaves them pregnant and thrown,” was the phrase of the president who aroused the outrage.
News Colombia.
In recent days, a controversy has been unleashed in Colombia by a statement by President Gustavo Petro during a Council of Ministers. The president said that “In every popular neighborhood of Colombia there is a Brayan that takes women, leaves them pregnant and thrown”referring to social problems such as irresponsible paternity. However, the comment was not well received by a specific group of citizens: those called Brayan.
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In response, a video on social networks starring a group that calls the Brayan Association of Colombia (ABC) emerged. In the video, several young people with the name Brayan express their indignation and demand respect for what they consider a stigmatizing comment. “That our name is not synonymous with an easy joke”says one of the participants.
According to ABC members, the president’s words reinforce class prejudices and promote discrimination against those who have names commonly associated with popular sectors. “It is not just a name of name. It is the constant mockery towards those who come from humble neighborhoods, towards whom we have this type of names because our mothers chose it with love”said another spokesman.
Now if Petro trembles: the Brayan of Colombia 👊🔪🇨🇴, led by @ _elBryan_ joined to demonstrate and say #Niunbrayanvulneadomás 🫢 https://t.co/LS7hi9QV97 pic.twitter.com/7h3zhxmccx
– The uncovering (@eldetapadorcol) SEPTEMBER 17, 2025
The reaction in social networks did not wait. While some users supported the position of the association, others defended the president, arguing that it was a metaphor to illustrate a real social problem. However, for Brayan, generalization was offensive and unnecessary. “You can talk about paternal abandonment without falling into mockery or pointing to a specific name,” they said.
So far, the Presidency has not issued an official pronouncement on the controversy. Some sectors have requested that the president retract or at least kill his statements, while others consider that the controversy has been exaggerated and decontextualized. In any case, the debate is still open about the language used by political leaders and their impact on public opinion.
The Colombian Brayan Association announced that it will continue to make this type of stigmas visible and promoting respect for proper names. “We are doctors, engineers, teachers, responsible parents. We do not accept that we are caricatrice,” They concluded in their video. The publication has already been shared thousands of times and has become a trend on platforms such as Tiktok and X.
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