Chaos at the Gibraltar Gate. Thousands of Spanish workers were seen trying to enter the Rock this morning. got in a very long queue It is due to the closure of a lane on the side of Gibraltar. Nerves freed: constant beeps, falls, and irritation before you even start your workday. Here are some scenes set a little over a week after the death of the colony’s chief minister, Fabián Picardo. threat of retaliation To Spain for checkpoints at La Verja, the metallic line separating Spain from the British colony.
Today’s tension arose when Spanish police officers opened the door around seven in the morning. a new lane for two-wheelersseparated from cars. This was intended to facilitate traffic in the Rock stream for thousands of Spanish workers, most of whom use motorcycles, bicycles or electric skates.
by Gibraltar two plastic barriers placed closes this new strip, as can be seen in the photos this newspaper has accessed. This combined the two lanes on the Spanish side into one on the Gibraltar side, creating a real funnel.
At nine in the morning, two hours after the attempt, The Ministry of Interior has ordered that the use of that strip be stopped. That’s the case for now, according to official Spanish sources familiar with the situation on the ground. According to diplomatic sources, the Government of Fabián Picardo complained of an opening that he thought would only benefit the Spanish side.
National Police sources assure this newspaper that the news was transmitted to Gibraltar “in writing and more than a week ago” Spain’s intention is to create a lane for two-wheeled vehicles only. They claim that they have been asked to cooperate and that different options are being explored to do so on a consensual basis. The aim is to provide greater fluidity for workers entering and exiting Gibraltar and greater safety in the movement of vehicles. Sometimes motorcycles or roller skates zigzag between cars, causing tension and friction. However, Gibraltar has not cooperated for the time being.
Other knowledgeable sources state more: The Gibraltar authorities must have taken orders from their own Government. not cooperating for political reasons. This is allegedly why the three ordinary agents who were there this morning did not leave their stands to conduct separate checks for motorcycles and cars.
120,000 daily passes
Spanish diplomacy has been negotiating with the European Union and the United Kingdom for almost two years to reach an agreement. Post-Brexit Gibraltar mess. When defining the separation of the door with a non-Schengen zone, in principle the same controls should apply to nationals of any third country. So far, a lax policy of goodwill and little control has been exercised. But this seems to be changing.
in 2024, new European Entry/Exit System (EES), automatic registration of passengers from third countries. According to official Spanish sources familiar with the situation, Spain has also recruited reinforcements at its borders to do this on Gibraltar, a de facto (not de jure) border. In total, there are between 15 and 20 officials on the Spanish side.
Some of the new staff you want to use to manage this new ribbon. It facilitates the daily transportation of thousands of people to their workplaces for two-wheeled vehicles.
estimated 120,000 people pass daily this time of year (30,000 in both directions) and vehicles (another 30,000). The majority are Spanish workers with jobs in the colony. Especially in summer, the number of tourists is quite high. The rest consists of plains (Gibraltar) heading to the Spanish side for shopping or enjoying their summer home in luxury mansions in Sotogrande (Cádiz).
Threats of retaliation
Swords have been drawn between the Spanish Government, the UK and Gibraltar in recent days. As this newspaper announced, the State Department submitted numerous official diplomatic complaints (verbal notes) to the United Kingdom regarding incidents that occurred in the waters surrounding Gibraltar during the summer, which all parties claimed were theirs. Spain condemned harassment of fishing boatsclashes with customs patrol boats and diesel fuel spill.
The Government of Fabián Picardo made a statement on August 26 and protested on its behalf. threatened to retaliate Even against workers who cross the border every day to work. He complained about passport controls (scans) of people entering Spain through the door. Gibraltarians and Brits are also forced to queue up as non-EU citizens enter Spain. Madrid claimed that the Schengen entry criteria were applied, among other security reasons. Ministry of Interior agreed to waive these checksIn the name of good understanding in terms of the Gibraltar Treaty negotiations.
There is currently no official confirmation or denial about whether the new lane will be subject to a physical blockade for two-wheeled vehicles. Retaliation announced by Picardo. At the end of this article, the Government of Gibraltar did not respond to this newspaper’s questions on the subject. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declined to comment.