- Joined
- Aug 26, 2004
- Posts
- 15,616
- Media
- 50
- Likes
- 4,782
- Points
- 433
- Location
- London (Greater London, England)
- Verification
- View
- Sexuality
- 90% Gay, 10% Straight
- Gender
- Male
10th September - today - is Gibraltar's National Day. It marks the anniversary of the 1967 sovereignty referendum when 99.64% of the population of Gibraltar voted for British sovereignty. The 2002 sovereignty referendum resulted in a vote for British sovereignty of 98.48%.
Tensions between Gibraltar and Spain are at their highest since the Franco years. Spanish delays at the border are around three to four hours and have peaked at eight. Spanish coast guards have shot at a Gibraltan jet skier in Gibraltar waters. Spanish coast guards have supported a mass trespass by Spanish fishermen. Gibraltar registered cars in Spain have been torched with the Spanish police apparently doing nothing. Spain has arrested a British man who tweeted that the delays at the border were "torture" by Spain. Spain is stopping the import into Gibraltar of building materials.
Today the Gibraltar flag flies over the Foreign Office in London as an expression of UK support for the people of Gibraltar. In the EU parliament today the issue of the Spanish blockade of Gibraltar has been raised by an MEP. The governments of Gibraltar and the UK have lodged a complaint with the EU commission about the border problems, which are in breach of EU law. Gibraltar is raising a separate human rights issue about Spanish border guards confining people in their cars for many hours in blazing sun without access to water or toilets - this is by definition torture.
We have a nasty issue of an utterly corrupt and failing Spanish government presiding over a catastropic economy which is using Gibraltar as a way of deflecting public attention. The people of Gibraltar are suffering.
Tensions between Gibraltar and Spain are at their highest since the Franco years. Spanish delays at the border are around three to four hours and have peaked at eight. Spanish coast guards have shot at a Gibraltan jet skier in Gibraltar waters. Spanish coast guards have supported a mass trespass by Spanish fishermen. Gibraltar registered cars in Spain have been torched with the Spanish police apparently doing nothing. Spain has arrested a British man who tweeted that the delays at the border were "torture" by Spain. Spain is stopping the import into Gibraltar of building materials.
Today the Gibraltar flag flies over the Foreign Office in London as an expression of UK support for the people of Gibraltar. In the EU parliament today the issue of the Spanish blockade of Gibraltar has been raised by an MEP. The governments of Gibraltar and the UK have lodged a complaint with the EU commission about the border problems, which are in breach of EU law. Gibraltar is raising a separate human rights issue about Spanish border guards confining people in their cars for many hours in blazing sun without access to water or toilets - this is by definition torture.
We have a nasty issue of an utterly corrupt and failing Spanish government presiding over a catastropic economy which is using Gibraltar as a way of deflecting public attention. The people of Gibraltar are suffering.