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Olympic/Malvinas ad: “creativity can’t be censored, it must be applauded”, says CFK

Tuesday, May 8th 2012 - 02:39 UTC
Full article 206 comments
“This comes to show that the English also need to come to us for creativity” “This comes to show that the English also need to come to us for creativity”

President Cristina Fernández said in relation to the controversial Olympic/Malvinas advert that “creativity can’t be censored”, on the contrary it should be “applauded” because it reflects the feelings of the Argentines. The head of state also rejected lifting the spot as demanded by Britain and the Y&R agency in New York.

“Some claimed to be offended by a spot that reflects the feelings of all Argentines. It is not at all aggravating. More offensive is the exploitation of natural resources and not respecting the memory of the dead or the UN resolutions on the Malvinas” said the Argentine leader in direct reference to recent statements coming from the British government.

“They have taken over something (Falklands) that doesn’t belong to them” added the president arguing that UK is attempting to cover up something which “is untenable in the XXI century: colonialism and sending destroyers to intimidate us. But let me tell them that nobody is going to make us deviate from our policies”

“Argentina will always be open to dialogue. Those who are not are causing great damage to multilateralism” underlined Cristina Fernandez during a ceremony on Monday in Government House.

Insisting on the Olympic/Malvinas advert, the president said she was in favour of creativity and truth. “Creativity can’t be censored, it must be applauded and acknowledged” and went on to describe the piece as “an excellent message made by an Argentine working for an English agency; this comes to show that the English also need to come to us for creativity”.

The spot which has proved highly controversial was released last week shows Argentine field hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg training for the London Games by running in Stanley, capital of the Falklands with a strap line that says: “To compete on British soil, we train on Argentine soil”.

The advert triggered strong statements from the Falklands’ elected government, the UK, the International Olympic Committee, the head office from Young and Roubicam group that created the spot and also caused concern among Argentine athletes who feel the incident and its consequences could affect negatively their performance in the London Games.

However according to reports in the Buenos Aires press “the Argentine government is not going to apologize for the advert, will not take it off the air as requested by the UK government and the Y&R main offices in New York, and will be polite to the IOC”.

As can be concluded from the words of the Argentine president, “the spot was a total success because of its repercussions at international level, besides the fact it has further helped with the sovereignty claim over the Malvinas”.
 

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  • Anti-Fascist

    Argentina is a product of colonialism, conquered by the sword, most of the natives killed and infected by disease, their land taken from them and worked by imported African slaves, oversean by imported European colonials. The African's who made up 50% of the population would themselves completely disapear from Argentina between 1850-1900 in what could have been a chilling fore runner to the disareances of the Dirty War in the 1970's when an estimated 30,000 Argentines were raped, tortured and murdered, many more were held illegally in detention camps and tortured. The true figure for the dead could be as high as 100,000, no one knows because there is little official documentation and most bodies were dumped in the sea.

    Argentina took land from its neighbours in numberous wars , civil wars and land grabs - Paraguay, Uraguay, Chile. Today Argentina despite the changed political landscape is still a nation characterised by uber nationalism. The claim to the Falklands was surendered in 1850 but reserected in 1941 by a fascist junta, which inc Peron, they thought their friends the Nazi were going to win the war, the Falklands looked easy picking.

    In 1982 Argentina was under the latest succession of a series of fascism military junta's. Their hold on power was looking precarious, in deperation they sort a war, Chile looked like a good victim, they already claimed lots of land and were ignoring the international tribunals that had ruled in Chile's favor. But then they changed their mind and invaded the Falklands. Today the war is romanticized by a nation ruled by a kind of cross between a Neo-Nazi uber nationalist and a Charvesta Revolutionary uber Marxist. The only thing missing is the land reform. Maybe that's for later? But as few natives remain, maybe they'll just ignore their rights... God knows they always have. An entire culture replaced by a European one. Entire languages destroyed.

    Timmerman should take time to read about his country's history.

    May 08th, 2012 - 02:51 am 0
  • Chicureo

    The mad cow has spoken: “the Argentine government is not going to apologize for the advert, will not take it off the air as requested by the UK government and the Y&R main offices in New York, and will be polite to the IOC”.

    Nows the time for everyone else to strongly complain to the IOC and ask for sanctions.

    May 08th, 2012 - 02:54 am 0
  • STRATEGICUS

    This woman is living on a different planet to the rest of us.Everything she does makes her and her dysfunctional country look more weird and strange to outsiders. I see the Spanish are getting the EU heavyweights involved in the Repsol battle. Why doesn't Britain get the EU involved in defending EU sovereign territory in the Falklands?
    I can't wait to see her make an even bigger fool of herself when she tries to take the UK to the Hague War Crimes Tribunal.

    May 08th, 2012 - 02:55 am 0
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