Milei adviser Caputo says UK 'colonised by Islam' in post tying Falklands claim to MP's election
Santiago Caputo, chief adviser to Argentina's president Javier Milei, posted on X that the UK is being "colonised by Islam" and cited this as a reason for Argentina to reclaim the Falklands; Milei shared the post. It comes amid a sharpening sovereignty and oil dispute.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Santiago Caputo, chief adviser to Argentina's president Javier Milei, posted on X that the United Kingdom is being "colonised by Islam" and presented this as a further reason for Argentina to reclaim the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas. The GuardianLC “Seeing the United Kingdom being colonised by Islam is not only an imminent risk to the cause of the west as a whole” Read at The Guardian ↗ NewsweekN “using the election of a Muslim lawmaker in London to argue that Argentina should reclaim the Falkland Islands” Read at Newsweek ↗ Left · 1Caputo wrote that the west "cannot afford the encroachment of an Islamic state within that sphere of influence" in the south Atlantic, and that reclaiming the Malvinas "is not merely a national cause, it is a cause for the west". Milei shared the post. The GuardianLC “the west cannot afford the encroachment of an Islamic state within that sphere of influence”“Milei shared Caputo’s on the social media platform X.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1Caputo's post cited the election of Sagal Abdi-Wali, a Labour MP, and carried an image of Abdi-Wali being sworn into parliament on the Quran. A comment beneath the image by Javier Negre, a rightwing Spanish journalist, said "Islam is steadily gaining more power in the country". The GuardianLC “Caputo accompanied his post with an image of Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia, being sworn into parliament.”“Islam is steadily gaining more power in the country.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Mixed · 2Abdi-Wali, 43, won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on 8 October, taking the seat vacated by Keir Starmer, with 12,292 votes to 8,928 for Green Party leader Zack Polanski. Abdi-Wali came to Britain from Somalia as a child refugee and previously led Camden Council. NewsweekN “securing 12,292 votes to his 8,928, according to the U.K. Parliament.”“Abdi-Wali, 43, came to Britain from Somalia as a child refugee and has lived in Camden since the 1990s.” Read at Newsweek ↗ The GuardianLC “She took her seat in parliament on Monday.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1The post comes amid the most intense Argentine pressure on the Falklands that UK officials say has been seen since the 1982 war. Milei has sought to criminalise executives in the islands' nascent oil industry and has threatened the fishing sector. The GuardianLC “The intensity of Argentinian pressure relating to the Falklands is at a level that UK officials say has not been seen since the war 44 years ago”“Milei has sought to criminalise executives involved in the Falkland Islands’ nascent oil industry” Read at The Guardian ↗ Centre · 1Argentina filed an application with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg seeking provisional measures to halt oil drilling, saying it wanted to protect its "sovereign rights over its continental shelf". The UK rejects this position and has defended commercial oil activity, including the Sea Lion field, which Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband backed. NewsweekN “Milei's government filed an application with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg on Tuesday, seeking provisional measures to halt oil drilling.”“But the U.K. rejects Argentina's position and has defended commercial oil activity around the islands.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Mixed · 2Miliband condemned Argentina's "attempts to intimidate businesses and individuals engaged in legitimate commercial activity". The Foreign Office has written to Interpol seeking assurance it would not act on Argentine requests to detain people working in the Falklands, which British authorities describe as politically motivated. NewsweekN “Miliband condemned Argentina's "attempts to intimidate businesses and individuals engaged in legitimate commercial activity,"” Read at Newsweek ↗ The GuardianLC “the Foreign Office had written to Interpol seeking assurance that the law enforcement agency would not respond favourably to requests for the detention of individuals working in the Falklands.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1Andy Burnham restated this week that the UK would respect the wish of the 3,600 islanders to remain British. In a 2013 referendum 99.8% of Falkland Islands voters chose to remain a British territory, with three votes against. The GuardianLC “Andy Burnham restated the UK’s position that it would respect the wish of the 3,600 islanders to remain British”“In a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of the Falkland Islands’ residents voted to remain a British territory, with only three votes against.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek adds that British troops held a six-day landing exercise, Cape Upholder, in the islands this week; the Ministry of Defence called it routine and not a response to Argentina's threats. It also reports that Donald Trump, asked on 31 August about a US review of its Falklands position, said "I always review every position" without announcing any change. NewsweekN “"This was a routine military exercise. Every rotation of British troops in the Falklands conducts similar training as part of their deployment," a spokesperson said.”“Trump did not announce a change in U.S. policy.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Mixed · 2The 1982 war lasted 74 days and ended with Argentina's surrender, with 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders killed; the sovereignty dispute remains unresolved. The GuardianLC “cost the lives of 649 of their military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders” Read at The Guardian ↗ NewsweekN “the sovereignty dispute has never been resolved” Read at Newsweek ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads on the adviser's remarks as a controversial escalation in a growing Falklands row, reporting from Port Stanley and noting the heightened tension and UK government responses.
- Emphasis
- The text of Caputo's post, Milei sharing it, the Negre comment about Islam gaining power, and UK measures such as the Interpol letter.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little on the Hamburg tribunal application, Sea Lion field details, or the US position.
- Charged language
- “colonised by Islam”“Islamisation of Britain”
- For example
-
“has cited the election of Sagal Abdi-Wali to the UK parliament as evidence of the Islamisation of Britain” — The Guardian
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Reports the remarks, attributing the original report to the Guardian, then places them within the broader sovereignty, oil, legal and military context.
- Emphasis
- Argentina's tribunal application, the Sea Lion oil field, Miliband's response, Trump's comments and the Cape Upholder exercise, plus Abdi-Wali's by-election result and background.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the Foreign Office's Interpol letter as a Guardian revelation beyond a brief reference, and gives less on the Negre comment.
- Charged language
- “colonized by Islam”
- For example
-
“made the remarks in a social media post that the Argentine president later shared, according to a Guardian report.” — Newsweek
Right1 outlet
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Caputo, who has worked for Milei since 2021, wrote on X that the UK is being 'colonised by Islam' and linked it to reclaiming the Falklands.
- Milei shared the post.
- Sagal Abdi-Wali is the Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras and defeated Zack Polanski.
- In 2013, 99.8% of Falkland Islanders voted to remain British.
- The 1982 war lasted 74 days and ended in Argentine surrender.
Where accounts differ
-
Who is the main subject and how Caputo's remarks fit into the wider dispute
- Left
- The Guardian leads on Caputo's post as an escalation of a 'Falklands row', reporting from Port Stanley alongside UK moves such as the Interpol letter.
- Centre
- Newsweek presents the remarks as one strand in a wider sovereignty and oil dispute, giving more space to the legal case, Sea Lion field, US stance and military exercise.
Santiago Caputo person
Argues that a UK 'colonised by Islam' is a risk to the west and a further reason for Argentina to reclaim the Malvinas, which he calls a cause for the west.
“Reclaiming the Malvinas is not merely a national cause, it is a cause for the west.” — The Guardian
Javier Milei person
Shared Caputo's post on X; has renewed Argentina's claim, saying in September the 'winds of change' favoured Argentina and threatening 'to take matters into our own hands'.
“saying in September that the "winds of change" were favoring Argentina's position” — Newsweek
“Milei shared Caputo’s on the social media platform X.” — The Guardian
Falkland Islands place
Islanders voted 99.8% in 2013 to remain British; the UK says their right to self-determination is central and has pledged to back them and protect businesses working there.
“The U.K. maintains that the islanders' right to self-determination is central to the dispute” — Newsweek
UK and Ireland2 outlets
The Guardian reports from Port Stanley, treating the post as a provocation within a UK-Argentina confrontation and stressing UK responses.
“The intervention from Buenos Aires comes at a moment of heightened tension between Argentina and the UK” — The Guardian
The Guardian, GB News
North America1 outlet
Newsweek treats the post as part of a wider geopolitical story, including the US position under Trump.
“The dispute has also drawn attention in Washington, where President Donald Trump has suggested that the United States could reconsider its position on the islands.” — Newsweek
Newsweek
Left1 article
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Milei adviser claims UK being ‘colonised by Islam’ as Falklands row grows
Critical Presents Caputo's post as an inflammatory escalation in the Falklands row, quoting it in full alongside the Negre comment and UK government responses.
Centre1 article
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Argentina Says UK ‘Colonised by Islam’ As It Argues for Falklands
Neutral Reports Caputo's remarks, crediting the Guardian, then sets them in a broad overview of the legal, oil, military and US dimensions of the dispute.
- 15 Oct 16:00 First The GuardianLC Milei adviser claims UK being ‘colonised by Islam’ as Falklands row grows
- 16 Oct 10:39 +18h 39m NewsweekN Argentina Says UK ‘Colonised by Islam’ As It Argues for Falklands
- 16 Oct 10:54 +18h 54m GB NewsR Javier Milei's ally claims Argentina needs the Falklands as Britain has been 'colonised by Islam'
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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