ANGRY Argies burn a British flag in Buenos Aires yesterday after The Sun
warned: “Hands off the Falklands.”
A seething mob took to the streets to set fire to the Union Jacks — and copies
of our full-page advert in a local paper.
Armchair warriors flooded websites with outraged comments, branding the
British people “pirates and murderers”.
But other Argentinians BACKED our stance, saying: “We should leave the islands
alone.”
The Sun took out the advert in the Buenos Aires Herald after Argentine
president Cristina Kirchner accused Britain of “stripping” the Falklands
from her country in an aggressive act of colonialism 180 years ago.
Our letter to Mrs Kirchner, published in both English and Spanish, demolished
her claims and declared: “Until the people of the Falkland Islands choose to
become Argentinian, they remain resolutely British.”
Many Buenos Aires residents reacted badly after reading the Herald yesterday,
even burning British flags in the street.
One shaven-headed man in a camouflage jacket set fire to a copy of The Sun’s
advert. A surly trucker snarled at our reporter: “I won’t speak to you
because you’re British.”
Copies of the Herald sold out yesterday as the row made headlines across
Argentina, the rest of South America and the world.
But Mrs Kirchner was unusually silent as she refused to answer The Sun’s
challenge.
Newspapers Ambito and La Nación both carried the story on their websites and
quickly attracted hundreds of comments from angry Argentines — branding the
British as “pirates, slavers, thieves and murderers”.
Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982, sparking a war that claimed hundreds
of lives.
Despite subsequent apologies from Argentina, President Kirchner re-opened old
wounds this week when she wrote an open letter to PM David Cameron.
The letter, sent to left-wing British papers, accusing Britain of stealing the
islands from Argentina back in the 19th century.
The Sun’s response pointed out that British sovereignty over the islands dates
back to 1765, before the Republic of Argentina even existed.
After reading our letter some Argentines changed their minds about the
Falklands, known as Las Malvinas in Spanish. Others blasted Mrs Kirchner for
trying to deflect attention away from Argentina’s problems.
Fabian Cebron, 44, a courier, said: “I thought it was obvious the Malvinas
were Argentine and the British were keeping a colony.
“But then I didn’t know until I read The Sun’s letter that the British had
sovereignty before the Argentine Republic existed. That changes things.”
Diego, 70, a concierge, said: “I agree with The Sun.
“We were wrong to go to war and we should leave the Malvinas alone.” Retired
TV producer Alberto Diaz, 69, added: “It’s political for us, but for Britain
it’s economic. They’ll only fight this while there’s the possibility they’ll
find oil.”
Reader Alan Fontan wrote on La Nación’s website: “Mrs President, if you want
to send a letter to Cameron, do so officially to the government in Downing
Street and not by publishing something in the country’s newspapers to kick
the hornet’s nest among the British citizens and boost the underdeveloped
jingoism of the Argentine populace.”
He added: “All governments in decline use the Malvinas to cover their
weaknesses. All these governments ended badly. This will just lead to
madness.”
Another reader said: “Cristina needs to properly manage the 23 provinces she
has.
“There are more urgent problems than the Falklands.”
On the website of leading Argentine paper Clarin, a commenter called Chepes
wrote: “Enough about the Falklands! No islander wants to be Argentine, no
Argentine can even say his great-grandfather was from there.”
Fernando Tortore said Mrs Kirchner’s sabre-rattling was simply “to divert
attention from irreparable things that are happening in Argentina”.
Another poster added: “If the Brits have to give us back the Falklands, we
will have to give them back to France and give our country back to the
indigenous Mapuche people.”
A group of islanders calling themselves Falklands United yesterday wrote their
own letter to Mrs Kirchner, saying: “For many years YOU have been publicly
expressing far too readily what YOU think should happen to OUR home, the
Falkland Islands.
“We live here because we want to. Our home is a British Overseas Territory,
not a colony as you seemingly wish to convince people.
“Through our right to self-determination as enshrined by the United Nations we
can choose to associate ourselves with whomever we so choose. We choose to
maintain our relationship with the United Kingdom in this way.”
Senior Tory MP John Redwood backed The Sun’s letter and said: “The Falkland
Islands are not a UK colony. The irony is that Argentina wishes to make them
an Argentine colony against their will.”
Mrs Kirchner refused to comment through her office yesterday.
A source at the presidential palace claimed the publication of our letter
“didn’t have an impact”, adding: “We will continue to push our claim to the
islands.”
a.west@the-sun.co.uk
Tale of 'polite' seizure
By BEN MACINTYRE, Military Author
IN Argentina, the historical waters around the Falklands are hopelessly
muddied.
No one was on the islands in 1690 when the Englishman John Strong came ashore
and named them after the Secretary of the Treasury, Viscount Falkland.
One of the first settlements was French — the name Malvinas derives from Les
Malouines, after the French town of Saint-Malo. Small groups of British,
Spanish and other settlers followed.
The lines of dispute only start to come into focus with the arrival of Luis
Vernet, a German/French trader.
In 1823 the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, which was to become
Argentina, granted him land there in settlement of a debt and appointed him
governor.
After the British objected, Vernet reassured them that he was only out to make
money from the seal trade.
When three American ships were intercepted harvesting seals, Vernet arrested
them. In response, the Americans sent the USS Lexington to destroy his arms
store.
A Buenos Aires bid to set up a penal colony there ended in 1832 when soldiers
murdered their own commander.
John James Onslow, captain of HMS Clio, then sailed out from Rio and politely
informed the local commander: “It is my intention to hoist tomorrow the
national flag of Great Britain on shore.”
Far from expelling Vernet’s settlers, Onslow urged them to stay. Of the 33,
only four left. In the first test of public opinion, almost 90 per cent
voted for British sovereignty — by staying put.
As acts of colonialism go, this was not so much “blatant” as courteous and
entirely bloodless.
Iron lady vs penguin
NAME: Margaret Thatcher
NICKNAME: The Iron Lady
FAMOUS FOR: Winning the Falklands War
NAME: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
NICKNAME: CFK or La Pingina — Mrs Penguin
FAMOUS FOR: Argentina’s first female President
The isles back us
FALKLANDERS yesterday joined The Sun in telling the Argies: “Hands off!”
Dozens posed with Britain’s favourite newspaper in capital Stanley.
And John Fowler, deputy editor of Falklands newspaper the Penguin News, said:
“Several people have come up to me smiling and saying how marvellous The
Sun’s response was.
“The support is very much appreciated. It makes us feel closer to Britain. Our
links are strong, but it is tremendously heartwarming to feel that level of
backing.
“It was great to see The Sun rattling the president’s cage in straightforward
language!”
myView
By SIMON WESTON, Falklands War veteran
SOMEONE needs to say it as it is and The Sun article was spot on.
President Kirchner is trying to deflect away from the country’s terrible
financial state and corruption in her government.
This is what caused 1982 — Argentina trying to deflect from its domestic
problems.
Her article was inflammatory and her conduct is threatening to the islanders.
This is not a football match. The war is over and Argentina lost. She has to
start to grow up — and stop being petty.