The shocking story of a teenager beaten to death by eight young rugby players has opened old wounds and shed light on class, race and gender discrimination in Argentine society.
Eight friends, now aged 21 to 23, face life in prison if convicted of the planned murder of Fernando Baez three years ago at a popular seaside resort.
The trial took place in Dolores, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Buenos Aires, and has shocked the country, as the original killing sparked protests in several cities.
In the early hours of January 18, 2020, there was a fight in a nightclub in Villa Gesell, a resort town popular with young people.
After those involved were kicked out of the club, the fight continued on the street, but Baez, then 18 years old, became isolated from his friends and was surrounded by eight defendants, who beat him to death from his injuries.
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The trial opened three weeks ago, but precious little light has shone on who did it that night.
Some of the defendants even denied abusing Baez.
The issue of who, or what, is responsible for Baez’s death has fueled social media debate.
“The question of class plays an important role in this case,” said sociologist Guillermo Levy, professor at the universities of Buenos Aires and Avellaneda.
“Most rugby players are from rich and rural families.”
Some have pointed the finger at rugby itself, and the culture that surrounds it.
“It’s really a cocktail of violence, racism, machismo, alcohol, etc. But I would add the component of rugby training,” said Facundo Sassone, a sociologist at the University of San Martin who is also a rugby junior. coach, told AFP.
He said the “herd” mentality fostered in the team environment played a role.
– ‘Why are rugby values failing?’ –
For all its positive publicity as a sport where respect and friendship are integral, rugby has a dark side where indecent violence, and sometimes inappropriate pranks, are common and unquestionable.
“If we … say this sport is a sport of values and friendship, why fail?” asked Sassone.
“Some issues can be blamed on rugby players and can lead to violent situations away from the field.”
Several former professional players have spoken out on the matter.
Former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot is one of the most enthusiastic people in the sport after meeting the Baez family in 2021.
He said rugby has “normalized evil” because it fails to “distinguish good from bad” in some of the practices that have developed in and around the sport.
Rugby does not have a monopoly on violence – hardly a year goes by without a death related to brawls between rival football fans, while drunken brawls outside nightclubs are commonplace.
It is a minority sport in Argentina, where its popularity is less than that of football.
But it is mentioned because it is traditionally played and watched by the rich elite.
And that’s why this case has captured the public’s imagination in a way that violence among the poor never would, says sociologist and writer Alejandro Seselovsky.
White dress “that kills, that’s like ‘a man bitten by a dog’, it’s newsworthy,” said Seselovsky.
– ‘Society must reflect’ –
The racial aspect of these murders also forced Argentine society to face awkward truths that they prefer to sweep under the rug.
According to witnesses, the defendants called Baez – whose parents, a mason and nanny, are both Paraguayan immigrants – “black black” when they beat him.
“You can’t escape the reference to Fernando’s blackness in the attack,” sociologist Sebastian Bruno, an immigration specialist, told AFP.
“Racism and classism” are clear, said Bruno, although Levy insists that “it doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t attack them if he didn’t” Paraguay.
In countries where the majority of the population comes from white Europeans, mostly from Spain, Italy or Germany, the term “black” has been widely used to describe natives or migrants from neighboring countries who are considered inferior, Bruno said.
“We have to reflect the society that produced this,” Levy said.
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