Argentina: Rugby Players Sentenced for Murder
This wraps up a widely covered four-week trial over a case that has shocked Argentina. The 18-year-old Báez Sosa was reportedly attacked outside a nightclub in the coastal resort city of Villa Gesell by the group of rugby players, who beat him to death before leaving to buy hamburgers.
Facts
- This wraps up a widely covered four-week trial over a case that has shocked Argentina. The 18-year-old Báez Sosa was reportedly attacked outside a nightclub in the coastal resort city of Villa Gesell by the group of rugby players, who beat him to death before leaving to buy hamburgers.
- A court in the Argentinean town of Dolores has found eight amateur rugby players — who are now between the ages of 21 and 23 —guilty of the 2020 killing of aspiring law student Fernando Báez Sosa.
- The eight attackers were all teammates at a small, provincial rugby club, a sport that is traditionally played and watched by a wealthy elite in Argentina.
- On Monday, Máximo Thomsen, Enzo Comelli, Matías Benicelli, Ciro Pertossi, and his brother Luciano Pertossi were convicted as co-perpetrators of homicide with premeditation and malice.
- Meanwhile, Ayrton Viollaz, Blas Cinalli, and Lucas Pertossi were condemned to 15 years in jail for their role in the crime. All eight had been held in pre-trial detention since Báez Sosa died in January 2020.
- The killing of the only son of Paraguayan immigrants has sparked debate about racism, as the attackers reportedly used racist slurs against darker-skinned Báez Sosa during the assault.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Guardian, France 24, Buenos aires times, Buenos aires herald and Guardian.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by Buenos aires times. The killing of Báez Sosa is a product of classism, racism, toxic masculinity, and violence that have long permeated Argentina's culture. Rugby's 'herd mentality' and the normalization of cruelty also played a significant role. The debate should not be about whether the attackers are psychopaths, but rather about the society that has produced toxic conditions.
- Right narrative, as provided by Unherd. It's sad that a sport like a rugby is being exploited by some who espouse post-modern 'woke' values to discuss virtue-signaling concepts such as 'toxic masculinity.' This assault was a tragedy and the focus should be on holding violent criminals accountable — not ideological grandstanding.
