A series of racist incidents involving Argentinian tourists in Brazil has reignited debate about racism, national identity, and Argentina's self-image as a European nation. The latest case involves a seven-year-old boy whose mother discovered that an Argentinian tourist had secretly photographed him on a train and sent the images with a caption suggesting he could be taken as a slave.
Eduardo Ignacio Murias, 63, an architect from Santiago del Estero, was arrested for 'racial insult' after passengers detained him until police arrived. Under the photos sent via WhatsApp, he had written: 'He's Black but very cute. I could take him as a slave. I'm thinking of taking a slave, there are many here.'
Murias is the third Argentinian arrested for racism in Brazil this year, as record numbers of Argentinian tourists visit the country. In April, José Luis Haile, 67, was arrested for allegedly directing racist insults at a food delivery worker in Rio. In January, Agostina Páez, 29, was filmed mimicking a monkey towards a waiter at a nightclub; she was later welcomed back to Argentina by far-right senator Patricia Bullrich, an ally of President Javier Milei.
Political scientist and activist Federico Pita said the incidents reflect Argentina's deep-rooted racism, citing Article 25 of the constitution, which promotes European immigration. 'Racism is inscribed within the very project of the Argentine nation. Argentina is constitutionally a supremacist country,' he said, adding that the country denies the existence of African-Argentinians and Indigenous peoples, who officially make up about 1% and 3% of the population respectively, though activists believe these figures are underestimates.
In March, Argentina was the only Latin American country to vote against a UN resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade 'the gravest crime against humanity', alongside the US and Israel. Pita noted that while Brazil has a larger Black population facing severe inequality, Argentina's denial of its non-white heritage is a different but serious issue.
