Argentina just made a huge move on the Falklands… and it was no mistake | UK | News
With Argentina now ruled by a right-wing government led by a far-right foreigner, it was only a matter of time before history was rewritten.
The Falklands War in the South Atlantic in 1982 ended with the unconditional surrender of all Argentine forces.
The British military campaign successfully achieved its primary objective: the liberation of the Falkland Islanders from Argentine occupation and the restoration of British rule.
For more than 43 years, not counting the occasional outbursts of the South American half-wit, case is closed when it comes to the future of the Malvinas Island.
And that’s because the facts are undeniable: All major land, sea and air battles have been won by British forces and resulted in the capture of the capital, Port Stanley; Argentina lost approximately 650 men (about 11,400 of whom were taken as prisoners of war), while Britain lost 255 soldiers.
Victory was achieved by setting up a Task Force in Margaret Thatcher’s finest hour, some 5,000 miles from home.
But in the almost inevitably debt-ridden country, the new £10 million Falklands War Museum in Argentina tells a very different story, even claiming the UK concealed the number of dead British soldiers.
The state-run training facility (or should it be a correctional facility) sprung up in Bariloche, Patagonia, and focused on spreading propaganda about what authorities in Buenos Aires described as the Falklands Affair—that is, the delusional idea that Argentina would one day retake the islands.
It is suggested that as many as 1,200 people were killed, rather than the official figure of 255 British deaths.
Understandably, this irritated the highly muscular men of the Parachute Regiment and other units serving with distinction, who accused Argentina (in a printable version of their own agrarian language) of “a pathetic attempt to rewrite history.”
The Museum argues that the Task Force set out to wage a ruthlessly imperialist-led war.
Argentina claims the British Empire sold lies to the world after it started a war by shooting a group of civilians, followed by legal retaliation, and the Argentinian flag flies over the Falkland Islands “after 149 years of British occupation”.
This year, President Javier Milei led a nationwide commemoration of the failed 74-day attempt to seize the Falkland Islands.
And this is no surprise. The country, which has one of the world’s highest inflation rates and a history of economic incompetence, has been forced to implement austerity measures to address long-term problems such as excessive public spending and exchange rate volatility.
But never mind all that…
In Argentina’s backwards and distorted view of the world, the museum’s version of events shows smiling images of Argentinian soldiers professionally lining up British prisoners of war with their hands up at the start of the war.
This suggests that confirmed figures of 225 martyred and 775 wounded British soldiers are incorrect.
The headline reads: “Given that British military reports remain secret and will not be released until 2072, 90 years after the conflict, it is estimated that the true figure may be closer to 1,200.”
Visitor Steve Douglas, 65, from Wokingham, Berkshire, said: “This is full of revisionist nonsense. Argentina’s surrender is ignored and it is our forces who are portrayed as unreliable aggressors.”
“Most offensive were their allegations that we were distorting our death toll in some form of cover-up inspired by the UK government.”
Lord West of Spithead, a former head of the Royal Navy who served as commander of HMS Ardent in the war, said: “Britain is not a country that covers up the number of people killed in war. This is clearly nonsense and such claims do no one any good.”
Former Royal Marines sergeant major Jeff Williams, who also served, added: “No matter how hard you try, you can’t hurt from victory. This is a pathetic attempt to rewrite history. To be honest, I’m not surprised the Argentinian government is trying to convince people that the war wasn’t a catastrophic failure for their country.”
“Most offensive were their allegations that we were distorting our death toll in some sort of cover-up inspired by the UK government.”
So the clear message from veterans and visitors is loud and clear. The Falkland Islands are and always will be Britain; You can stick your fake propaganda to your junta.
