Gibraltar’s representation at the Labour Party Conference continued yesterday evening with the Gibraltar Reception hosted by the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and featuring a keynote speech by the UK Minister for Europe and the Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty MP.
The frontier queue delays experienced since late last week have continued to feature in international media reports. Two articles have even appeared on CNN’s iReport platform which carries reports from people around the world who send in stories of interest.
UKIP Gibraltar has deplored the recent spate of intense frontier queues. In a statement to the press the party noted, ‘we condemn in the strongest fashion this ridiculous over reaction to Gibraltar exercising her rights within British Gibraltar Territorial waters to protect and regenerate the local maritime environment.
To disrupt border crossings to the point that 10,000 cars were forced to queue for a dangerously absurd length of time makes the Spanish governments contempt for the people of Gibraltar blindingly clear to the world. In trying to deflect from the serious economic and social problems arising Spain, including the almost 30% unemployment rate caused largely by austerity measures imposed by the European Union, the Spanish government are bullying they're much smaller and tremendously more prosperous neighbour. This is the politics of envy.
The following is a statement from the Defenders Of Gibraltar on this weekend’s frontier delays:
The Defenders of Gibraltar would like to thank all those people, groups, organizations and political parties who helped during one of the most tumultuous weekends Gibraltar has ever had to endure courtesy of the Spanish Government’s medieval approach to Diplomacy.