Stand up to Spanish, Gibraltarians urged The people of Gibraltar must reassert their identity in the face of Spanish political pressure, a senior minister has suggested, as he warned the territory will only become more resilient when placed under threat. Dr Joseph Garcia, the deputy chief minister, said that the people now “need to re-establish and reassert identity” at “every conceivable opportunity”. Political tensions flared in August this year, when Spain used its “irrevocable” right to carry out checks at its border with Gibraltar following a dispute over fishing territories, with visitors and commuters queuing for up to five hours to cross. The situation is still the subject of significant debate, with Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, calling the British overseas territory an “anachronism” which “continues to inconvenience the citizens of Gibraltar and the surrounding area”. Earlier this year, Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, reportedly accused Spain of acting “like North Korea” and harassing the territory, while David Cameron said he was “seriously concerned” about the situation. Speaking this weekend at the first literary festival in the territory, Dr Garcia, who is also a historian, said past decades had shown the Gibraltarian people “do not take kindly to bullying”. Related Articles Spanish schoolchildren stage invasion of Gibraltar 27 Sep 2013 Spain stands by Gibraltar controls despite UK legal move 12 Aug 2013 Madhur Jaffrey: Children must learn to cook’ 27 Oct 2013 Britain rejects EU finding that Spain did not violate rules on Gibraltar border checks 15 Nov 2013 Cardinal warns against intolerance 27 Oct 2013 “When we’re under pressure, our resilience and identity does come across more,” he said. “We need to re-establish and reassert identity that is under threat. “In our case, because it’s under threat, it makes it more important to assert our identity at every conceivable opportunity.” He added that it was essential for the people of Gibraltar to have the ability to decide their own future, even in the face of their situation being “challenged and undermined” by successive Spanish governments. He said Gibraltar had been living under a “constant climate of siege” for decades, adding: “Long may we remain British if that is the will of the people.” telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/gibraltar/10406895/Stand-up-to-Spanish-Gibraltarians-urged.html
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 18:43:04 +0000
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