Morrissey: Falklands 'belong to Argentina'

Morrissey, the former lead singer of the band The Smiths, has waded into the continuing row over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands at a gig in Argentina.

The singer performing for an audience at a show in Cordoba said,

“You know of course the Malvinas Islands, everybody knows they belong to Argentina so please do not blame the British people, we know the islands belong to you”.

The singer joins celebrities Roger Waters, formerly of the band Pink Floyd, and Sean Penn the US actor and director in speaking out over the increasingly intemperate relationship between the UK and Argentina on the subject of the Falklands Islands.

Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falklands in April 1982 when Argentine troops seized the islands, only to be subsequently defeated in a 74-day war that claimed the lives of 649 Argentines and 255 Britons.

Since the re-election in October of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as President of Argentina, tensions between the two countries have again flared up.

Argentinians have also stepped up calls for sovereignty in the run up to the 30th anniversary of the 1982 war in April.

Anger between the two countries was also exacerbated by Prince William being posted there as an RAF rescue pilot.

Argentine protesters marched on the British embassy in Buenos Aires, and burnt the Union flag , in protest at his posting.

Actor and director Sean Penn at the time condemned the move calling Britain's presence in the Falklands “colonialist, ludicrous and archaic”.

Earlier this week, former Pink Floyd star Roger Waters said the islands should belong to Argentina, according to a TV presenter who interviewed him.

Waters, is known for his anti-war views, and aired his opposition to the war in Pink Floyd’s 1983 album The Final Cut.

Morrissey is known for his outspoken views and has been involved in controversy throughout his career, and this is only the latest of a number of provocative comments.

In 2010, Morrissey described the Chinese as a sub-species, whilst attacking their record on human rights.