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GIBRALTAR: ANOTHER INCIDENT HEIGHTENS THE TENSION
Michael Coy / 2009-11-29 14:31:08
Two Spanish “submariners” are detained, a mile from the Rock. The arrest of one, on an outstanding warrant, leads to a court appearance.
Days after the United Kingdom formally apologized to Spain over an insult to the Spanish flag (the crew of a Royal Navy patrol boat were using it for target practice), a new incident has intensified the distrust between the two nations.
On Thursday 26 November, a British patrol vessel investigated a lone boat, drifting in Gibraltar’s waters, only a mile off the eastern (Mediterranean) side of the Rock. Two Spanish men were questioned and detained.
The two men argued with the British officers of the Royal Gibraltar Police, maintaining that they were in Spanish territorial waters and that they were “deep-sea fishermen” (the Spanish media are dubbing them “submariners”). When the men were asked to produce evidence of identity, it quickly became apparent that one of them was wanted in Gibraltar on an outstanding arrest warrant. It seems that he has failed to appear in court on a motoring matter.
Both men were landed in Gibraltar. One was freed, while the other spent a night in police cells, and was produced in court the following morning (Friday). After a dressing-down and a warning, he was allowed to leave.
Incidents of this nature look set to multiply. The Spanish government is refusing to accept that Gibraltar has territorial waters and incursions by Guardia Civil vessels are on the increase.
These usually end with the Royal Navy escorting the Spanish boats back into the open sea.
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