Royal Navy repels fishing boat armada after Gibraltar 'invasion'
Fishermen stage protest over concrete reef as Gibraltar's chief minister says 'Hell will freeze over before barrier is removed'
Lead in and link to story by THE GUARDIAN
Spanish boats illegally entered Gibraltar's waters after a stand-off with the Royal Navy on Sunday.
In an escalation of the bitter diplomatic dispute over fishing rights, Britishmilitary and police boats had to push back a flotilla of around 40 Spanish vessels.
The fishermen, some shouting "Gibraltar is Spanish", were protesting against a concrete reef built by the Rock's government to protect its fishing stock.
They argue the reef restricts their rights to fish, but Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, said "hell will freeze over" before the barrier is removed.
In the tit-for-tat row, Spain introduced extra checks causing five-hour queues for drivers trying to cross the border and has threatened to bring in a £40 charge.
Click here for full story, photos, and video: THE GUARDIAN
The tensions led David Cameron to complain to the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy and ask for the European Commission to intervene on Friday.
As the political dispute continues to rage, the Spanish fishermen took matters into their own hands on Sunday by sailing into Gibraltar's waters
Today's Update:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/19/gibraltar-dispute-navy-warship-westminster
No comments:
Post a Comment