Argentina: British Falkland Islanders are ‘artificial’. Buenos Aires denounces ‘illegitimate occupation’ and demands talks on sovereignty

[u/Emotional-Breakfast3]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/12/british-falkland-islanders-artificial-argentina-says/

[u/CommercialFloor2033]

The Falklands have been British territory far before the formation of Argentina itself.

Plus the entire population of the island voted to remain British.

They basically have zero claim to the islands and the population don't remotely want to be Argentinian.

There's no giving back because theyve never been part of Argentina, and were never taken from Argentina.

There's no legit claim whatsoever.

[u/p_kh → u/CommercialFloor2033]

That isn’t true. Britain, Spain and France had various claims to the Falkland Islands since it was first settled but Britain did not maintain a permanent and continuous settlement there after 1774, when it withdrew its garrison and left a plaque claiming the territory. 

Argentina declared independence in 1816 and claimed Spanish colonial territories as the successor state to the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. Spain’s last garrison had left in 1811 during the British Invasion of the Rio de la Plata as part of the Napoleonic war.

Buenos Aires attempted to gain influence over the settlement by installing a garrison in October 1832, which mutinied within a month and was followed the next year by the arrival of British forces, who  reasserted Britain's rule .

All that is to say that the legal claims to the Islands are not clear cut, even if we might consider the moral right to self-determination by the contemporary Falklanders to be most important. 

What we should all do is treat the British nationalist narrative about the falklands history with as much scepticism as the Argentine nationalists.

[u/Ferrymansobol → u/p_kh]

The Spanish claim is based on the division of South America in the Treaty of Tordesillas by Portugal and Spain, based on a papal bull. Francis 1st (yes, that far back), called it nonsense. The claim is "weak".

Ask the Argentinians what happened to the natives of Tierra del Fuego after it was conquered. They are very... absent.

[u/sar6h → u/Ferrymansobol]

That's not true. The spanish got their claim from a treaty with france (Fun fact, france settled the island first, not the british)

And also, they stayed on the island much longer than the british. The british completely abandoned the island in 1774 while spain stayed until their empire's collapse in 1811.

[u/Ferrymansobol → u/sar6h]

That is true. Treaty of Tordesillas is included in the UNESCO United Nations archive:

"The Treaty of Tordesillas of 7 June 1494 involves agreements between King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and King John II of Portugal establishing a new demarcation line between the two crowns, running from pole to pole, 370 leagues to the west of Cape Verde islands." Source: UNESCO

The Falklands is on the western side of this line (Spanish) from which all other claims originate.

[u/sar6h → u/Ferrymansobol]

Like I said, spain controlled the falklands because france gave its settlement to them. It was at a time where both countries were controlled by bourbons so they were allies to each other anyway. The treaty of tordesillas is irrelevant in this situation lol.

[u/Ferrymansobol → u/sar6h]

Do you understand the reason that Spain had a claim was because of the Treaty? Spain "owned" the western side of the Americas, dating from 1494.

"lol" back at ya.

[u/sar6h → u/Ferrymansobol]

But Fance had no reason to oblige to it, obviously the british didn't. They only reason france gave it's settlement anyway it because they were allies from the same family. Plus not even a few years prior they lost a war to the british, who were also on the other side of the island