A key adviser to Argentina's President Javier Milei has claimed Britain is being "colonised by Islam", arguing this is a reason for Argentina to recover the Falkland Islands. Santiago Caputo, one of the president's closest political confidantes, made the remarks in a lengthy post on X, which was subsequently shared by Mr Milei.
Adviser's claim
Mr Caputo wrote: "Seeing the United Kingdom being colonised by Islam is not only an imminent risk to the cause of the entire West, but also a historical tragedy for those of us who defend the ideas of freedom." He added: "This is another reason why Argentina must project itself firmly into the South Atlantic and recover the Falkland Islands."
The adviser argued that the strategic importance of the South Atlantic would increase over the coming decades, warning that the West could not allow an Islamic state to gain influence in the region. He said: "Recovering the Falklands is not just a national cause. It is a cause of the West."
Trigger for comments
Mr Caputo's intervention was prompted by footage of Labour MP Sagal Abdi-Wali taking her oath in the House of Commons with her hand on the Koran, reported Clarin. The legislator, who was born in Somalia and came to Britain as a child, was elected to represent Holborn and St Pancras following a by-election.
The parliamentary ceremony is a recognised procedure, with MPs able to swear an oath using a religious text or make a non-religious affirmation. However, the footage was used by Argentine commentator Javier Negre to argue that Britain was undergoing "Islamisation". Mr Caputo subsequently amplified the claim, linking the presence of Muslims in British public life to Argentina's longstanding demand for sovereignty over the Falklands.
Diplomatic tensions
The remarks come at a particularly sensitive moment in relations between the two countries. The Argentine government has intensified its campaign to reclaim the islands, which Buenos Aires calls Las Malvinas, as a row over offshore oil exploration threatens to deepen tensions with Britain. Argentina has also pursued legal action over the development of the Sea Lion oilfield north of the islands.
The £1.6billion project, led by Israeli firm Navitas Petroleum and British company Rockhopper Exploration, is expected to begin production in 2028. Argentina argues that the development infringes its sovereign rights, while Britain maintains that the project is lawful.
Mr Caputo portrayed Britain as a historic foundation of Western civilisation, citing the Magna Carta, political philosophers John Locke and Adam Smith, and scientists including Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. He then argued that the alleged spread of Islam threatened the values he claimed Britain had helped establish. His post was shared by Mr Milei, who has made recovering the Falklands a priority of his administration while pursuing diplomatic and legal pressure rather than military action.
Britain has controlled the islands since 1833, although Argentina continues to claim sovereignty. The dispute led to war in 1982, when Argentine forces invaded and British troops were sent to retake the territory. The 74-day conflict ended in Argentine surrender, with 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British service personnel and three islanders killed.
The islands remain a British Overseas Territory, with their own elected government. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of participating voters backed remaining under British rule, a result London cites in defending the islanders' right to self-determination. Argentina rejected the vote. Mr Caputo's comments have not changed the islands' status, but they underline the increasingly combative tone of Argentina's campaign as the two countries clash over sovereignty and valuable offshore resources.
