The President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, has caused a regional diplomatic tiff by saying that while Argentinians were from Europe, Brazilians were from the ‘jungle’.
Speaking while visiting business leaders in Buenos Aires with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, Fernandez was quoted as saying: ‘The Mexicans came from the Indians, the Brazilians came from the jungle, but we Argentines came from the ships. And they were ships that came from Europe.’
Fernandez was apparently quoting a line from a song by a popular musician, Litto Nebbia.
The comments sparked uproar on social media with Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of President Jair Bolsonaro and a member of Brazil’s Congress, calling it ‘racist’.
President Bolsonaro and Fernandez have not seen eye to eye in the past, and the Brazilian took a swipe at his rival on Twitter. Bolsonaro shared a picture of himself with indigenous Brazilians with the word ‘Selva’ and the Brazilian flag (selva means jungle in Portuguese).
Fernandez backtracked on his comments, which some had seen as an attempt during Sanchez’s visit to emphasise his country’s ties with Europe. He said: ‘I did not mean to offend anyone; in any case, whoever has felt offended or invisible, I give my apologies.’