Screenshot from the television program “ComButters” from Willax Television. Statements made by a sportscaster have sparked controversy and revived a debate over racial discrimination in Peru. On June 14, while discussing the pending football match between Peru and Ecuador for the 2018 World Cup qualification, Phillip Butters, the host of a TV program called “ComButters”, referred first to the Afro-Ecuadorian players, and then centered specifically on one of them, Caicedo, calling him a monkey and a gorilla. His comments, shown in the video below, drew an immediate reaction from the Afro-Peruvian community, followed by a series of statements from the Peruvian government and the Ecuadorian government. Con los bolivianos en Lima, no hay mayor problema. […] Después vamos a jugar contra Ecuador en Quito. Los ecuatorianos no son negros, son cocodrilos de altura. Tienen bíceps en los párpados hermano. Si le hacen una prueba de ADN a Caicedo y no es humano, es un mono. Un gorila. With the Bolivians in Lima, there's no big problem. […] Afterwards, we'll play against Ecuador in Quito. The Ecuadorians aren't black, they're mountain crocodiles. They have biceps in their eyelids, brother. If they did a DNA test on Caicedo, he isn't human, he's a monkey. A gorilla. A wave of opinions followed. There were many demonstrations, in favor and against, across social media and the press. Lamento decirte q es lo contrario, gran parte de los Peruanos somos como él, por eso tiene tantos seguidores. Nuestra ignorancia lo ensalza — Uriel Davalos C (@udavalos) June 17, 2017 First tweet: Phillip Butters should apologize! Inexcusable and degrading comments about the Ecuadorian players and every person. For shame! Reply: I'm sorry to say that it is the opposite, a large part of Peruvians are like him, and this is why he has so many followers. Our ignorance exalts him. Butters no es ni homofobo, ni racista. Parece que le tienen tirria a @Phill_Butters porque piensa diferente a ustedes. — Giancarlo Quispe (@gian_511) June 16, 2017 Butters is not homophobic or racist. It seems that you all can't stand @Phill_Butters because he thinks differently than you all. Afro-Peruvian grassroot organizations and activists signed a press release titled “United against racism and discrimination!”, which not only condemned the sportscaster's statements, but also underlined the systemic racism that the Afro-Peruvian population experiences. It also criticized the show's guests on the day Butters made the comments, Carlos Navarro and Omar Ruiz de Somocurcio, for not challenging the declarations of their host. The group made reference to the cultural diversity of Peruvian society and demanded compliance with the Peruvian constitution's second article: La constitución política de nuestro país refiere, en su artículo segundo, inciso segundo, que toda persona tiene derecho a ‘igualdad ante la ley, Nadie debe ser discriminado por motivo de origen, raza, sexo, idioma, religión, opinión, condición económica y de cualquier otra índole’. De otro lado, recordemos que la discriminación es un delito tipificado en artículo 323 del código penal. Our country's constitution mentions, in its second article, second paragraph, that every person has the same right to ‘equality under the law. No one should be discriminated against because of origin, race, gender, preferred language, religion, opinion, economic position or any other factor.’ Also, lets remember that discrimination is a criminal offense in article 323 of the penal code. They also added: En diversos medios de comunicación, la burla, la mofa, cosificación y animalización de la población afrodescendiente es sistemática e impune. En tal sentido, expresamos nuestro más enérgico rechazo y hacemos un llamado a las instancias correspondientes del Estado peruano a fin de garantizar el derecho a la igualdad y no discriminación de la población afroperuana. Through different kinds of media, taunting, mocking, objectification and animalization of people of African descent is systematic and unpunished. In that sense, we express our most forceful rebuff and we call out the responsible Peruvian state institutions to finally guarantee the right to equality and no discrimination against the Afro-Peruvian population. The group's statement also emphasized the need to create national plans to fight discrimination and strengthen the organizations that currently work on the issue. Butters’ comments and the swift reaction of the Afro-Peruvian movement also prompted statements from different government sectors.