Violating sovereignty

THE entry of two Spanish Customs Surveillance Service officers onto Gibraltar’s Levante beach while attempting to abort a cache of smuggled tobacco on Friday, February 3, has been described by the Government of Gibraltar as a “very serious breach” of its sovereignty and jurisdiction.

During the intervention by the two Spanish officers in the early hours of Thursday morning, they were injured to varying degrees after being hit with stones by a group of people allegedly linked to tobacco smuggling.

This intervention “would constitute a very serious breach of the law,” if “it were confirmed that the Spanish officers fired their weapons in Gibraltar,” said the government. It was also a “reckless and dangerous” action in an area, they stressed, “with a high density of civilian population, given the proximity of a residential development.”

In this context, the Gibraltar and UK governments considered that the events “will require careful assessment as to the nature and level of the diplomatic response.”

They explained that they “will contact Spanish officials to seek clarification on this violation of Gibraltar's sovereignty before making a final decision on the action to be taken.”

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