The Government of Argentina celebrates ‘Columbus Day’ and claims the “milestone” of Columbus

Milei spoke about October 12 in the middle of the anniversary of the so-called “Discovery of America” ​​/ Photo: La Razón

The Government of Argentina, headed by Javier Milei, spread this Saturday through different social networks a message to “celebrate” ‘Columbus Day‘ – a name that it legally stopped having in 2010 – and in which it vindicates the arrival of Christopher Columbus. to America as the “milestone” that gave “the beginning of civilization” on this continent.

“Today (Saturday), October 12, we celebrate Columbus Day in commemoration of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America, a milestone that marked the beginning of civilization on the American continent,” says the message published in official accounts of the Casa Rosada, headquarters of the Argentine Executive, on the social networks X, Facebook and Instagram.

The message is accompanied by a video in which it is stated that, with the arrival of Columbus to America in 1492, “a new era of progress and civilization opened in the new world.”

“This unprecedented historical milestone laid the foundations of modernity in America, marking a cultural, linguistic and economic influence that has shaped our history and identity,” stated the Casa Rosada.

Milei version

According to the Government of Javier Milei, leader of the far-right group La Libertad Avanza, “far from being a simple maritime expedition, the arrival of Columbus represents a global paradigm shift.”

“Columbus, as a symbol of expansion and progress, reminds us of the human capacity to overcome the unknown and seek new opportunities for development and civilization,” the video concludes.

The official calendar of holidays in Argentina maintains this Saturday as ‘Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity’, a name that was adopted in 2010, replacing the name ‘Race Day’.

That change was validated by a decree of the then president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015) in which the modification was justified by the need to give this date “a meaning in accordance with the value assigned” by the Argentine Constitution and various treaties and declarations. of human rights “to the ethnic and cultural diversity of all peoples”.

Buenos Aires / EFE