An Argentinian MP has sparked a furious row after donning a provocative T-shirt proclaiming her country’s sovereignty of the Falkland Islands – during a meeting aimed at improving bilateral relations with the UK.
Agustina Propato was labelled a troublemaker after upsetting the British Ambassador to Argentina with her attire, referring to her as a ‘Thatcher’ representative.
Kirsty Hayes, the UK Ambassador, reportedly refused to participate in the group photo after the populist politician donned a T-shirt emblazoned with “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”) underneath a map of the disputed archipelago, in the blue and white colours of the Argentinian flag.
A heated exchange followed when Ms Propato refused to compromise by changing her T-shirt for the photo.
The UK diplomat responded: “We lost people too,” as Ms Propato defended her stance, saying, “Our Malvinas dead are our relatives.”
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Agustina Propato’s decision to wear the t-shirt prompted a tense exchange (Image: GETTY)
The incident occurred during a meeting in Buenos Aires between an Argentinian Parliamentary Friendship Group and UK diplomatic representatives, led by Mrs Hayes, an equestrian enthusiast and mother-of-two.
Martin Tetaz, a centrist MP from the Radical Civil Union, who attended the meeting to strengthen the countries’ bilateral relationship, accused Propato of demagoguery.
He said of the left-wing lawyer, married to former Buenos Aires province security minister Sergio Berni: “You take the biscuit when it comes to demagoguery.
“We listened to you respectfully, then we joined you in the photo with the Malvinas T-shirt, and finally, we asked if you would take a picture with the ambassador without the T-shirt, as it’s not appropriate to force an ambassador to pose with someone wearing a message they disagree with.”
Argentina’s President Javier Milei (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Mr Tetaz added: “What would have happened if the ambassador had shown up with a T-shirt saying ‘The Falklands are British’?
“We would have considered it an offence, and no one would have volunteered for that photo.
“In the end, two photos were taken separately – one with the T-shirt and one with the ambassador – missing a valuable opportunity to advance the diplomatic understanding necessary to reclaim the islands through the only viable means, diplomacy.”
Mrs Hayes, who previously served as the UK’s ambassador to Portugal, did not comment on the incident on her official X account. Instead, she reposted a photo of herself sharing mate, a popular herbal drink in Argentina, with Argentinian politician Lisandro Almiron.
Propato remained unrepentant, removing the jacket that had partially covered her T-shirt for a new photo.
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She later criticised the British Ambassador, stating: “She demanded I remove my T-shirt, saying she wouldn’t take part in the official photo otherwise.”
“In honour of our fallen heroes, Malvinas veterans, and all our compatriots, I wore, and will always wear, the words ‘LAS MALVINAS SON ARGENTINAS’ on my heart.”
In response to Tetaz’s remarks about a hypothetical British T-shirt bearing the message “The Falklands are British,” Propato added: “If Thatcher’s ambassador showed up with such a T-shirt, we wouldn’t let her into our Parliament.”
The 1982 Falklands War, during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, resulted in the deaths of 255 British soldiers, 649 Argentinians, and three Falkland Islanders.
In January, former Foreign Minister Lord Cameron met Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, at the Davos summit, marking their first meeting since Milei’s landslide presidential victory in November 2023.
Mr Milei has vowed to pursue a diplomatic ‘roadmap’ aimed at the UK handing over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands to Argentina. In April, he reaffirmed Argentina’s “unwavering claim” to the islands and criticised past leaders for making empty promises in international forums with no real impact.
Lord Cameron was declared ‘persona non grata’ by Gustavo Melella, governor of Tierra del Fuego, after visiting the Falklands in February. Melella accused him of provoking Argentina with his trip, during which Cameron stated he hoped the islanders would want to remain British “forever.”
Earlier this week, Javier Milei’s government and the UK announced an agreement to restart weekly flights from Sao Paulo to the Falklands, with a monthly stopover in Córdoba, which had been discontinued in 2020.