Argentine war cemetery in the Falklands vandalised

The Argentine war cemetery in the Falklands where more than 200 soldiers are...

14:03 02 August 2012

The Argentine war cemetery in the Falklands where more than 200 soldiers are buried has been vandalized in what the families of the buried soldiers call ‘a sacrilege’.  

 

The glass that protected a figure of the Virgin Mary at the cemetery has been shattered. The Falkland Islands government is investigating the incident and has condemned the action. Legislator Dick Sawle has appealed to anyone on the islands with any information regarding the incident to contact the police. 

 

The shrine is now under repair, and the figure of the Virgin has been temporarily removed for safekeeping. The cemetery, which is perched on top of a hill near Darwin, has already stirred controversy earlier this year when the 30th anniversary of the war was commemorated with ceremonies held there. 

 

The commission that represents the relatives of Argentina’s war dead sent a note to the British ambassador in Buenos Aires, John Freeman, and to Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman. 

 

The note claims that the act ‘reflects escalating hostility by certain British sectors who are influential locally’. 

 

Meanwhile, the Argentine Foreign Ministry has issued a statement demanding for an immediate and impartial investigation from the UK government. The statement also called for the end of Britain’s ‘continuous display of arms, submarines and nuclear capabilities, in violation of international treaties’. 

 

Over 250 UK serviceman, three Falkland civilians, and around 650 Argentines were killed in the war in 1982.