Wounds from the Falklands War break open – Putin teases in the background

As a genuine class warrior, Francisco Oliveira, known as “Padre Paco”, has seen a lot. But the fact that the Catholic priest for the poor was bombarded with porn messages was also a new experience for the rustic clergyman: “They threw stones at us, played loud music and in my case they played pornographic videos. All accompanied by the provincial police, who not only do not defend you, but are at the service of tycoon Joe Lewis.”

The whole thing happened a few days ago at "Lago Escondido" in the Argentine-Chilean border area - the most recent line of conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Specifically between left nationalist Argentine activists and British billionaire Joseph "Joe" Lewis.

"Padre Paco" was among those who were on the front line for the "rights of the Argentine people," as he reports hoarsely. When he also started a hunger strike, the other side “fought back” with the aforementioned porn bombardment. In the meantime, "Padre Paco" is back in his small hut in the municipality of Merlo in the province of Buenos Aires and, in an interview with WELT, presents his view of the conflict with Great Britain: "The Falkland Islands are Argentine and Lago Escondido too."

In the fight for the property of a British billionaire, the wounds of the Falklands War are currently reopening. What began as a demand for “the people” to have access to the lake has long since given the potential for renewed conflict between the two countries. Also playing in the background is Vladimir Putin, who is fueling anti-British emotions to win Latin America over to his side.

Anyone who travels through Argentina is actually reminded of Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands at every turn. Posters, graffiti even on the buses you can see the map with the barren islands. In April 1982, war broke out between Britain and Argentina after the military junta in Buenos Aires attempted to establish facts with a military occupation of the "Islas Malvinas" (as the Falkland Islands were called in Spanish, ed.).

But British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sent her navy and air force. A few weeks later, 649 Argentine soldiers and 258 British soldiers were dead and the "Islas Malvinas" were the "Falklands" again. It was the beginning of the end for Argentina's brutal military dictatorship.

Despite this military debacle, the claim to the Falkland Islands remains ingrained in the Argentine soul. The English, as the Argentines see it, are pirates who, as imperialists, have unfairly appropriated the Falkland Islands. A point of view that has also been repeatedly supported by Russia in recent months. Sometimes by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who supports the Argentine claims, sometimes by the Russian propaganda stations Russia Today and Sputnik, which are very active in Latin America.

For Moscow, the unresolved conflict is a welcome opportunity to drive a wedge between Argentina and Latin America on the one hand and Britain and Europe, who support Ukraine, on the other. The British do not have any really convincing arguments as to why they should have a historical claim to the territory that is around 10,000 kilometers away directly off the Argentine coast.

Argentinian Vice President Cristina Kirchner, who ruled the country from 2007 to 2015, has criticized the West's view of the Ukraine conflict in recent months.

There is a superpower double standard in the field of international law when it comes to making decisions, she said. "Remember the Malvinas," Kirchner indirectly demanded of the West to recognize not only the sovereignty of Ukraine, but also that of the archipelago.

Back to "Lago Escondio" where the current proxy conflict between the two nations is raging. The dispute there began with the local population demanding access to the lake, which is located on the property of the British billionaire. But he refused and called the police for help. The activists tried it spectacularly with kayaks, later there were confrontations with the security forces.

“Padre Paco” is always in the middle: “The foreign multi-millionaire Joe Lewis has fraudulently bought a large piece of land in Patagonia, which lies on the border with Chile.” Fraudulently because the law was not observed. The Brit is not entitled to own the whole piece of land because it is on the border with Chile. This violated Argentina's sovereignty, says Padre Paco.

On top of that, Lewis is said to be a close friend of former conservative President Mauricio Macri, which complicates things further in Argentina's already highly polarized society. "Padro Paco" knows that it's not really about the lake, but about the big picture: "Lago Escondido is about much more than just opening a road."