Gibraltar Chronicle

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Issue 01 September 24 - October 07, 2015 1

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THE

GIBRALTAR TIMES Spanish fire shots at Gib fishermen GIBRALTAR TIMES

Y O U R P A P E R F O R T O D A Y, T O M O R R O W A N D Y E S T E R D A Y

Gibraltar accused Spanish customs officers of firing four shots in the direction of one of its fishing boats in latest act of aggression surrounding The Rock

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PANISH customs officials have been accused of firing four shots and throwing bricks at a Gibraltar vessel within British Gibraltar Waters, as tensions continue to escalate between the neighbouring nations. In what has been described as an ‘extremely serious escalation’, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said the incident “put the lives of innocent Gibraltarian civilians at risk” and “represents an extremely serious escalation of the repeated Spanish violations of BritishGibraltar sovereignty”. The Spanish foreign minister Sr Margallo has reiterated that the waters that surround Gibraltar are Spanish, as if he is the principal judge in the International Court of Justice, and has threatened to continue with the incursions in what are, in fact, legally British waters. The incident which occurred on Saturday afternoon, involved two men on board a Gibraltar registered pleasure boat who reported that, whilst fishing well inside British Gibraltar territorial waters, four pistol shots were fired in their direction by the crew of the Spanish Customs vessel (SVA) ‘AGUILA IV.’ The crew claim that the Spanish vessel ordered the pleasure boat to stop its engines but when this was not done, the AGUILA IV circled the boat and the SVA crew then attempted to board

NEWS

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it, the pleasure boat then took evasive action. It was during this time that the shots were fired by the SVA crew apparently into the sea near the boat and objects, which they believe to have been bricks, were allegedly thrown at the local men. A Gibraltar government spokesman said that the two men had all the required fishing permits and were not behaving in any way illegally.

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LIVES AT RISK This is the third incident involving the SVA in as many weeks. Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said “this represents an extremely serious escalation of the repeated Spanish violations of British-Gibraltar sovereignty. There is no law enforcement excuse this time. The Spanish authorities have put the lives of innocent Gibraltarian civilians at risk. These actions are crimi-

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MOTORS

nal offences in Gibraltar. Solely by being in the area, the SVA boat was in violation of treaties and the International Law of the Sea” he said. “Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar will not tolerate, under any circumstances, the intimidation or harassment of Gibraltar vessels in British Gibraltar territorial waters. We are working closely together with the UK Government so that necessary and appropriate action is taken to counter this unacceptable threat”.

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