- Spanish send small naval vessel / police boat / fishing vessel into British Gibraltar territorial waters.
- Gibraltar authorities issue polite warning to leave.
- Spanish either ignore request or make some obviously insupportable claim about entitlement to operate in “their waters”.
- Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron or Royal Gibraltar Police boat despatched to remove them.
- Spanish vessel either moves away or remains, sometimes acting dangerously, putting lives and vessels at risk.
- Population of Gibraltar is furious and the Governor contacts UK Foreign Office in London.
- Foreign Office summons the Spanish Ambassador in London and gives him a ‘formal letter of protest’.
- Spanish Ambassador politely receives the formal letter of protest, goes home and puts it straight in his shredder.
- Daily Mail / Daily Express prints outraged (but inaccurate) article about the incident.
- Someone says “we need to send more Royal Navy warships to Gibraltar”.
- Everyone remembers there are no spare Royal Navy warships to send to Gibraltar.
- Subsidiary argument ensues about type, size and availability of frigates / OPVs / tugs that could be based in Gibraltar and the effectiveness of guardships in times past.
- Incursions continue but UK Foreign Office refuses to do anything more about it, not wanting to offend our “key EU and NATO allies”.
- Spain (NATO member) provides refuelling facilities for Russian warships in its own “colonial territory” of Ceuta, adjacent to Morocco.
- Major Royal Navy vessel arrives Gibraltar for a few days while in transit to or from Gulf deployment, people in Gibraltar cheer up slightly.
- Unpleasant Spanish nationalist types make abusive comments about the English on social media and in Spanish press.
- Major Royal Navy vessel departs. People in Gibraltar feel vulnerable.
Whole pantomime repeats again.
Photo courtesy of: Michael J Sanchez
Related articles
- Gibraltar and the Royal Navy (Save the Royal Navy)
- Britain’s fury as Spanish police boats repeatedly trespass in Gibraltar waters (Daily Express)
- Navy lives at risk in clash off Gibraltar (The Times – Pay wall)
- Spain ‘violated’ Gibraltar’s waters (bbc.co.uk)
Absolutely spot on of course. Michael’s photo depicts the Armada’s (that’s the correct name for Spanish navy) SPS Vencedora P79 http://www.armada.mde.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/ArmadaEspannola/buques_superficie/prefLang_en/08_patrulleros–02_patrulleros-clase-descubierta–04_patrullero-vencedora-p-79 Although ‘P’ alludes to Patrol, it’s armed with;
4 “Harpoon” missiles.
One 76/62 OTTO-MELARA gun.
One 20/120 OERLIKON machinegun.
Two 12.7 mm BROWNING machineguns.
In the background is Her Majesty’s Royal Navy RHIB, with two sailors, armed at best with one or two SA80 rifles.
Seems like a fair match to me. 😉
Seriously though the bit I don’t get about all this, especially when they start buggering about with delays at the border, is the problems it causes the local Spanish population, especially those that work in Gibraltar. Likewise many cross from Gibraltar to spend money in Spain, especially if it becomes more of a cruise ship hub. In short the Spanish Government are screwing their own people in that region by being such a pain in the backside. That’s governments for you mind! Obviously the existence of Cueta and Mellila just make them look even more stupid. They really need to grow up and realise Gibraltar is there to stay. If they accepted the fact they would realise it would benefit everyone.
I have also run myself through the how would I feel if say Portland where Spanish sceanrio. And I have to say if the historical circumstances where similar and there was mutual respect on both sides, I could live with it.
I would find it absolutely disgraceful if the Spanish occupied, say,Portland. And then, as you say, when the French politely pointed out that we occupied Calais and Caen I’d feel ever so slightly hypocritical and elect for polite silence.
The only form of “Imperialism” still existing in the world today come from regimes such as Argentina/Spain who recklessly disregard the right of self-determination to the tens-of-thousands who inhabit the likes of Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands. The idea that we, who’ve just allowed the people of Scotland a referendum on their own Independence ( ahem… Spain ), are the Empire builders in all of this is absurdly ridiculous.
You should know that the one who is desobeying United Nations recomendetion s about decolonization is GB.
So happy for Brexit in Spain.
Llanitos (5000 live in Spain not paying taxes) will have a good time with the really tough frontier! ?
Ceuta (not Cueta) and Melilla are not colonies ( as Gibraltar is) They are as part of Spain as Madrid.
That are part of Spain much before Marruecos existed.
And they are not the last colonie in Europe, shame on you.
They are not desobeying United Nations recomendations to decolonizate that territory.
Last thing, Gibraltar has not territorial waters as Utrech treaty regulates that stolen territory.
We are going to have a good time with Brexit. We are going to close, well close, that fence. (Spain had never recognize a frontier)
Thanks fir brexit . ?
Out is out.
I think I could say it’s the character of Spain and indeed Argentina for that matter to be extremely passionate about matters of low importance and conveniently forgetful about facing matters which have great national significance….I. e , their economies.
Spain knows they will never get Gib back…and this is their way of stamping their feet in indignation. Although a more robust response by HM government along the lines of arresting Spanish vessels and warning shots if required would not go a miss, as I think we as British have tried not to offend others for far too long…time to stand up and poke the bully boy in the eye (as we we poked in the past)
Spain relationship with the colony is ruled by Utrech treaty. It nver talks about waters of Gibraltar. So they have none.
Great post, just one thing – Point 7 is inaccurate as the Spanish Ambassador is not usually summoned (despite Foreign Affairs Committee report last year “Time to Get off the Fence” which recommended this be done more frequently). I believe the procedure is that these “formal diplomatic protests” are presented to the Spanish foreign ministry via the British embassy in Madrid, usually they wait until they have a few of them and send them in batches.
Some quotes from the report:
“71. We agree withthe Government’s policy of protesting formally about every incursion into British Gibraltarian Territorial Waters. However, we are concerned that in carrying out this policy, the Government focuses more on the long-term need to establish an audit trail than it does on the immediate need to register a real protest with the Spanish authorities.
When the UK delivers protests about maritime incursions three or four weeks after the actual incident, it robs those protests of any force they might have had and gives the impression of an official simply ‘going through the motions’.This might be acceptable at a time of relative harmony, but during this period of heightened pressure on Gibraltar, the Government should re-assess its internal deadlines for delivering diplomatic protests.We recommend that it put in place procedures under which all diplomatic protests to Spain about Gibraltar are delivered within a maximum of seven days.”
“SUMMONING THE AMBASSADOR
72. The UK has summoned the Spanish Ambassador to the UK to the Foreign Office five times in the last two years to protest over Gibraltar issues. The FCO described such summonses as “a particularly serious and exceptional step to take”.[105]We asked the Foreign Office for a list of ambassadors it had publicly summoned, and it was striking to find that a strong European and NATO ally should be in the same group as Syria, Iran and North Korea. Only Syria has been summoned more times than Spain, and no other EU state has been subject to this extraordinary measure in the same time period:
73. It is hard to discern whether this high number of summonses is a positive signal that the FCO is taking robust action, or whether it is a sign that the measure is not workingandisrather seen in Spain as a mere slap on the wrist. We nonetheless consider that the Government is right to take exceptional measures such as summoning the ambassador in cases where there has been a breach of international law or particularly concerning incident related to Gibraltar. We recommend that if the situation does not show signs of improvement, the Government should re-assess its criteria for summoning the Spanish Ambassador and should consider doing so more frequently to reflect its ongoing concern about the unacceptable status quo.”
Full report here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/461/46102.htm
Spain relationship with the colony is ruled by Utrech treaty. It nver talks about waters of Gibraltar. So they have none.
I really think we should base port the new River OPV’s down there as Gib guard ships and Mediterranean patrol ships.Help escort the new carriers through the straits and occasionally across the pond to patrol the Caribbean dependencies.
This has got out of hand due to the limp Foreign Office policy of no-offence to stray dogs syndrome.
The correct procedure should be to issue warnings and act on them. No other self respecting country would do so little.
How about sending a frigate to scratch about off the Canaries?
They do nothing because they have not legal waters.
I have written to my MP about this asking him to support more resolute action by HMG.
I know this is unrelated to the above.
But 4000 refugees/migrants are on their way here mostly men desperate for a new life wanting a new life rn and rest of armed forces in a manpower crisis lets give them a choice, serve a minimum of five years on full pay, they want to enjoy our freedom and liberties earn it just like the ghurkas.
If we can bastardise training for reservists we can do it for them too!
..to war, to war, beat to quarters…! Sun-like jingoism…
1. Gibraltar has not waters following Utrech traty.
2.Ceuta and Melilla are not colonies. They are autonomous spanish communities as Madrid or Andalucia. Plese, gwt well informed before writing lies.
Saludos.
I’m afraid Morocco would disagree about their colonial status.
When you guys are going to realise that Does not exist Gibraltar waters??? Is not that difficult really
Gibraltar ESPAÑOL!
Only that the waters are actually of Spanish sovereignty. No? Show the papers. Show the tittle. The only document UK has is the Utrecht Treaty that clearly states the limits of the property was yielded. No waters and not istmus, meaning the airport is also sitting in Spanish soil. The only British property is the rock, the castle -that is now long gone- along with its walls and the port. We all know that but we prefer to apply whatever is best for UK, either we are right or wrong.
Perhaps we should hold a referendum in Gibraltar to see if they wish to stop being a colony and wish to be a part of the UK as much as say Scotland or Northern Ireland. they could then elect their own MP’s to Westminster. I think the same question exists about the Falklands. An exercise in self determination?