Claire Wilson
FRANCISCO Perez Trigueros has sparked outrage after posting a mocked up picture of a Spanish invasion of Gibraltar on Facebook.
The image, which shows soldiers marching through the British territory and fighter jets sweeping overhead flying the Spanish flag, was uploaded by the mayor of Callosa de Segura yesterday.
A Gibraltar-based activist group told the politician to ’go to hell’ while others accused him of using the dispute over the territory as a political stunt to deflect from the country’s high rate of unemployment.
The picture was posted ahead of a meeting today between Gibraltar’s chief minister, Fabian Picardo and British prime minister David Cameron.
Residents were yesterday made to queue for up to three hours while customs officials continued their go slow.
Is the dispute warranted? Find out more about the reef at the centre of the trouble here.
Can´t see a problem here as the planes are flying straight into the rock face and the soldiers are marching away from Gib´, ergo this nut job is saying they´ll be defeated !
Perhaps I could be permitted to remind Senor Perez Trigueros that the Spanish Armada now forms an artificial reef in the English Channel.
@DS I think they’d be worried about the crashing planes making a mess in the nature reserve on the top of the rock.
That’d be a real environmental crime for the Spanish to get upset about…
This whole dispute just makes Spain look like silly bad tempered children.
Perhaps I should remind you where Vermont s navy ended in 1741 when he try to take Cartagena with a fleet only second to world war II D-day…He returned with tail between his legs.
Or where Lord Nelson suffered his biggest and only defeat( loosing his arm on the way) in Canarias at the hand of the spanish, second time he showed up in spain he died.
Or ask Drake about his 12 defeats one after another…at the hands of the spanish in the Carribean.
And perhaps we should remind the “admiral” (Isn’t it ridiculous how the Spanish love titles, rubber stamps,, any “official”) of the craven cowardice of Franco in WW2. And of how most sensible Spaniards I know have now accepted that franco was a lunatic (except of course the corrupt idiots in the PP). I mean, closing the border for 13 years whilst throwing a hissy fit.
Of course the dispute is justified, the people of Gibraltar have spoken, and it is they should be listened to. UK needs to give Gibraltar a seat in the UK parliament, thus making the situation official, in the same way as Spain has done over its enclaves in Morocco, and France over its “departments” over the world.
And of course DS is right, retreating is what the Spanish are good at.
I love Spain, but sometimes a small minority of the people let all the rest of them down.
We should just treat this as a joke, which I’m sure it was meant to be.
If not, no wonder Spain is in such a mess with ars…les like that in the driving seat.
Would his Christian name be a nostalgic reminder of the glorious days of Franco?
Carry on Spain, the idiots you vote into power are digging a big enough economic black hole for everyone.
I would like to remind our dear dismembered and battled ghost and the rest of commentators of the Battle honours of the unit pictured in this travesty, but in more recent times – Malaga 1936. Anyone who is conversant with the Spanish Civil War would not find this the least bit funny. I recommend readers read some of Paul Preston’s books on the subject. Might waken some up.
Drumming up the support of the more exalted into a hate campaign against anything Gibraltarian is much like what was done in Germany by the Axis and should be repulsed by all and sundry, and this is being done by this Spanish Government of the PP with its campaign against Gibraltar. This is being followed up in the social media by extreme right elements and others who seem hell bent on directing their frustrations with the unemployment corruption and loss of social and civil rights that this government is burdening their country with, on Gibraltar.
In fact much like a prestigious and level headed Gibraltarian lawyer states in the Opinion columns in the Gibraltar Chronicle this week:
*[Article 20 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, agreed in 1966 provides that: “Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law”.
Of course the bull standing proudly atop the rock is the well known trademark of a very British company.
Shame the residents of Diego Garcia weren’t able to call on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Narf Narf
Not when the motley crowd of Diego Garcia pocketed the money given them to do the right thing and leave. Cant have your cake and eat it!
Narf Narf!
Inthename is of course quite right.
The Spanish people must be able to see this for what it is – a bunch of neo-francoists trying desperately to divert public attention away from the massive corruption that is endemic in Spain, and particularly it would seem in the PP, (more so than the Malaya scandal in Marbella which caused such a furore among the Spanish people) and concentrating on one of their Dictators pet hates – Gibraltar.
Not sure they saw forced eviction as “doing the right thing”. Still – at least Gibraltarians are safe.
Unless the USofA deem it strategically desirable, of course. Narf Narf
“Motley crowd of Diego Garcia” How patronising! They couldn’t get much more motley than your mob!
stefanjo, we are all motley nowadays, which was just a figure of speech. What Gibraltar is certainly not is a crowd. We are a small nation of 30,000 people, as motley as England, Australia, Spain, Ceuta, Melilla, and the Canary Islands can be nowadays, with all the infrastructure of a bigger one. What cannot be said for the more or less 2,000 of Diego Garcia who accepted compensation for leaving the island, forcefully or not. They had no infrastructure whatsoever, no shops, no hospitals, no nothing. Accepting that money was their greatest mistake in their claim to what they considered their island, and it was hence thrown out. Like I said before , you cannot have your cake and eat it.
Inthename – you are clearly an educated man. Which makes it all the stranger that you should be so dismissive of an island population who, as you correctly point out, lacked so much of what we take for granted. I think you missed out schools in your list. Had they perhaps had the benefit of your own education, they might have made wiser choices.
I’m not so sure you’re correct in your assertion that they “accepted compensation”. My understanding is that that the deal between GB (who had “bought” the island five years earlier for £600k) and the USA (who wanted it for a naval base) was dependant on the island being uninhabited. The residents were therefore forcefully evicted and it was only a year later that GB was forced to agree compensation payments to over 1,000 islanders.
In return for the deal, GB got to buy some Polaris ICBMs on the cheap from USA.
I appreciate all this is off topic as far as Gibraltar is concerned, but frankly I don’t see Gibraltar riding to Cameron’s rescue the way that the Falklands rode to Maggie’s.
An unfortunate figure of speech with nasty connotations. They had NO CHOICE for Gods sake. They had the most important infrastructure of all. Each other. They were a subsistence community, with no need of all that modern life now deems to be essential. They barely knew what was being done to them. Those having their cake and eating it, are all around you.
Have you looked up the meaning of “motley”?
Are we discussing a lunatic mayor and his totally ridiculous reaction to the Gibraltar problem or are we now having a history lesson. Keep to the point lads
PhylthePhluter Didn’t we just! Gibraltar did its part working round the clock on a volunteer basis(unpaid) to convert a ship, The Uganda, into a hospital ship. Gibraltar was burdened with queues, with threats, and with an Argentinian group of saboteurs that was sent to put bombs on British ships in the Bay and other British military installations. There was a code amber in Gibraltar for all the time that particular war was going on. Funnily enough it was Spain, with all its “we support our brothers in Argentina, “Malvinas Argentinas, “Gibraltar Espanol” who put that particular Argentinian group on a plane back to Buenos Aires!
As to my feelings about the differences between Gibraltar and the group of islanders in Diego Garcia. Much as one feels for them personally, believe me I do, you just cannot compare them to Gibraltar. I do not know whether you are conversant with the part Gibraltar and its inhabitants played during WWII. ALL of its aged, women and children were evacuated to London, Jamaica, Madeira, and Ireland to make way for those that were to defend Gibraltar. They left with one suitcase and without their husbands, fathers, and sons. The idea was to empty Gibraltar in the long term. But we fought to get back home. Many died in these far away places. It took demonstrations, letters, disruption for the men left behind to bring back their loved ones, but they did. The last one came back in the early 1950’s. No one accepted or demanded compensation for any of this. Their homes were destroyed, some had to live in makeshift tents, and iron huts, but they did all this for love of country and King. How can you compare us to any others please.
As to the now, all that the Royal Gibraltar Regiment can spare, is up there with the best of the British Army in all of the zones of conflict, in the front line or wherever needed. It is the RGR that is now the live in first defence in Gib. And they have proved themselves more than worthy with a Military cross to their credit.
stefanjo Have you? I meant it as mixed, of different races. But if your are looking for a way to discredit my words, you will always find a way to do so If you look hard enough. Here take your pick.
“http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motley”
it is time that the spanish fishingmen go in and take out the blocks them selfs they have evry right to the waters belong to spain full stop uk might have the rock and thats all no waters sorry to say i dont minde sitting in a car and take 10 hours to get in or out iam right behinde them all the way
Chris, I think we are off-topic, but to answer your comment, those blocks were placed to construct an artificial reef, providing a breeding area for fish, on an otherwise barren sandy seabed. It has been under construction for 40 years!
Like many other areas of Spain, many fishermen destroy their own stocks by catching everything, even small fry, resulting in a great loss of fish stocks. As a result, the Spanish Government has constructed hundreds of similar reefs around the coast, with advice from Gibraltar’s Dr. Eric Shaw. In the long term, the fishermen will reap the benefit as the young fish from these breeding grounds move out into deeper waters.
Of course, fishermen trying to use nets in these areas, all around Spain, not just Gibraltar, will destroy their own nets.
That is the idea! To increase fish stocks for local fishermen!
Fishermen throughout the world are guilty of over-fishing, which threatens their own livelihoods and only Governments – Gibraltarian, Spanish, or any other, have enough power to prevent it.
Chris, you can spend those 10 hours learning to write decent English.
Inthename I, like stefanjo find your comments on the inhabitants of Diego Garcia at best patronizing.
Was there life before fridges/washing machines – yes – at least these are useful items but the rest is just useless crap that people get conned into ‘needing’.
The people of Diego Garcia had no drug problems like alcohol or heroin. They did’nt have to put their brains in gear when leaving their homes like I did when living in the UK.
They had a quality of life that we can only dream of – ‘they keep you doped with religion,sex and TV and you think your so clever and classless and free’ – just about sums up ‘the modern world’.
Stuart Crawford,
Well it cant be helped what others feel about one’s comments. So I will not go into what I feel about your comment to Chris about his, more than acceptable, attempt at writing a comment in, what to him is a foreign language, however mistaken his ideas may be.
Understandable comment to make when one believes wholeheartedly what is bombarded at you from almost all the Spanish media i.e. that the British Territorial Waters surrounding Gibraltar are Spain’s.
Chris, read CONVEMAR, or the international version, UNCLOS, United Nations Convention on The Law of the Seas, to which Spain is a signatory. She signed because if she had not Ceuta and Melilla would have no Spanish International waters surrounding them, and they do.
Chris should ask himself one question which might provide him with some revealing answers. Why, if his country, Spain, is so sure that the waters are Spanish, why does it not take Britain to the international Courts at the Hague about it, but instead prefers to use this to heighten tension whenever it suits. Why, if Spain is so sure the waters belong to her, is there no sign of the Spanish Armada defending those waters that it says are theirs and all we get instead are threats and rhetoric.
Maybe if he ponders on it just a few minutes, what it should really take him to cross a European Union border, he will come to his own conclusions.
And Stuart Crawford, no thanks. I am not about to go into a marathon like we did last time on the origins of the Iberians.
Anyone who feels the need to live like a Robinson Crusoe, feel free. There are still many uninhabited atolls out there. Might cost you a fortune though, for which you would need a bank, or if you would rather squat, you might find yourself bored after a year or two or the atoll might sink back into the sea, in either case, without any of the many mod cons we have in the civilised world, a cell phone etc., you would have no way to call in the Marines to come rescue you in a modern helicopter, not a raft. Please take this last paragraph in the very much tongue in cheek, which is how I mean it to be read.
Have a good day!
well to me spain are doing evry thing it would be a lot better if they closed the frontier to all cars and every one as to walk in to Gibraltar and in to spain and with a passaport no id cards and have it stampted so you can only go in to Gibraltar once a day the spanish goverment should make the ques longer to get in and out and for the bunkering lets see if they can stop that as well i am 100 percent behinde the spanish goverment i am a big beliver in franco and we could do with some one like him again and by the way i was english and happy to so not any more as i am now spanish and very proud of it via rey via españa
spain are doing a very good job making every one to wait it should be longer the spanish goverment are doning a very good job they are not backing down to uk and when the eu come to look at the blocks they will tell Gibraltar and the uk to get them out of spanish waters and for the land they are reclaiming from the sea that is some joke they keep reclaiming and then saying that they have 3 miles hahahaha
I note that you say you WERE ENGLISH and judging from your lack of control of the language in grammar and punctuation, I am staggered the Spanish even considered you. On second thoughts, perhaps I am not!
chris said:
September 1st, 2013 7:04 pm
“i am a big beliver in franco and we could do with some one like him again”
@ Chris or Bruji or whatever you want to call yourself
Well, need you say any more! If those are your credentials, “English” or Spanish there is no more to be said to you about democracy. Or like they say in Spain “Apaga y vamonos”
As if to confirm my first comment on this article, quoting Gib Lawyer, Europe tells Spain
“Do Not drop guard on fascism says Europe to Spain!”
“http://www.thelocal.es/20130902/dont-go-soft-on-fascism-eu-to-spain#.”
And for our Franco loving friend Chris in Spanish, since he seems to prefer the language:
Here they translate the English version word fascism to Nazism.
“http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1908569/0/comision-europea/condena/xenofobia-nazismo/”
And here we are being threatened by the one man band Citypeg, a Spanish national who actually earns his living in Gibraltar, that there will be “trouble” by Spanish “radicals” coming to Gibraltar to bust up our yearly celebration of National Day on the 10th September, when Gibraltar proclaims its right to self determination and its politicians will no doubt denounce Spain’s bullying tactics against Gibraltar.
And to top it all he also tries to frighten Gibraltarians with the “news” that there will be trouble with the motorbike Concentration being summoned from Facebook hell bent on coming into Gibraltar, wearing special tee shirts, probably of the “Gibraltar Espanol” banner and the Spanish flag, in support of the Spanish fishermen, if we don’t stop “talking badly” about Spain. By talking badly I suppose he means denouncing Spanish politics towards Gibraltar.
“http://www.campodegibraltar.es/2013/09/02/citypeg-alerta-de-posibles-problemas-durante-la-celebracion-del-dia-nacional-de-gibraltar/”
The British press has picked up the story about the motorcycle demonstration.
“http://news.sky.com/story/1136163/gibraltar-protest-bikers-plan-border-ride”
Long Live Democracy. Long Live British Gibraltar. We have the right to determine our own future, whether Spain or its radicals, or its fascists like it or not!
Give the rock back and stop this colonial rubbish . England has done enough damage to the planet . Whilst you are at it give back the Falklands to Argentina ..such non sense in today’s age to protect these colonies from a few hundred years ago.stollen to protect trade routes of plunder . Let’s add the dumb Aussies and new zealanders still with the union jack on their flag .. And they are free , no wonder they can’t win the cricket or rugby ..still slaves to mother england . . Thank god the American kicked the english butt , where would we be now without them saving the planet a few times already . Let’s hope the Scottish see sense and off load then as well .
Harry is not the sharpest pencil in the case, as we say. lol.