Enthused by the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Buenos Aires, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez declared himself a
“Europeanist”
in an awkward turn of phrase comparing the origins of Mexicans, Brazilians and Argentines which turned into controversy.
Read also: Covid-19 in Argentina: cases explode in a slum in Buenos Aires
“I am a Europeanist. I am someone who believes in Europe (...) The Mexicans are descended from the Indians, the Brazilians came out of the virgin forest, but we Argentines get off boats, and they were boats that came from there, from Europe. And that's how we built our company, ”
said a smiling Alberto Fernandez during a meeting Wednesday June 9 with Pedro Sanchez at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace.
The video of this statement quickly went viral, taking social media in a whirlwind of criticism, taunt and mockery.
“The Argentines are so European that they have the British as neighbors,”
wrote one Twitter user, referring to Argentina's contested sovereignty over the Falklands.
Read also: In Argentina, the uncertain future of Vaca Muerta, a gigantic deposit in Patagonia
A few hours later, the center-left president apologized:
“It has been said more than once that
'Argentines get off the boat'.
In the first half of the 20th century, we welcomed over 5 million immigrants who coexisted with our indigenous populations.
We are proud of our diversity. ”
“I didn't mean to offend anyone, but to anyone who felt offended I apologize,”
Alberto Fernandez wrote on Twitter.
But too late.
Brazilian Senator Ciro Nogueira wrote on Twitter that after reading Alberto Fernandez's statements,
"I began to understand better why after World War II Nazi war criminals hid in Argentina
.
"
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/EXJQILQR5QI7OMVRTERD7AEZAU.jpg)
