Argentina’s ‘European’ self-image under renewed scrutiny after racist incidents in Brazil

A woman celebrating her 32nd birthday on a train journey in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais was horrified when a fellow passenger alerted her that an unknown man had been secretly filming her seven-year-old son. When confronted, the man – an Argentinian tourist – initially refused to show his phone. But after being pressed by other travellers, the man admitted he had sent the images to a WhatsApp contact. Police later revealed that under the photos, Eduardo Ignacio Murias, 63, an architect from the Argentinian province of Santiago del Estero, 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.” The tourist train in Minas Gerais where the incident took place. Photograph: Courtesy of VLI The child’s mother photographed the phone screen and passengers kept Murias inside the the train until it reached its destination, where he was arrested for “racial insult”, a crime under Brazilian law. The case has reignited debate in both countries about racism, national identity and Argentina’s longstanding pride in its European heritage . Murias was the third Argentinian to be arrested for racism in Brazil this year, at a time when record numbers of Argentinian tourists are travelling to the country. In April, José Luis Haile, 67, was arrested after allegedly directing racist insults at a food delivery worker at a supermarket in Rio. He is awaiting trial. Agostina Páez arrives in a Rio court in March. …