MADRID – The government of Gibraltar has defined as a “violation of British sovereignty” an episode in which agents of the Spanish customs control service were involved on Thursday, engaged, according to Iberian media, in the pursuit of smugglers: this is what was stated in a official statement. “British officials will contact Spanish officials to ask for an explanation of this violation of Gibraltar’s sovereignty, before making a final decision on the measures to be taken,” the statement read.
According to the Iberian media, the episode involved two agents of the Spanish customs control service: while they were sailing early in the morning on a rubber dinghy, pursuing suspected smugglers at a point on the coast near Gibraltar, the boat’s engine stalled and two remained adrift, ending up on a beach in British territory. At that point, a group of people, probably the smugglers themselves, started throwing stones at them. In a video of the incident published by some media, apparent shots are heard. Both officers were injured, according to the Gibraltar and Spanish governments. Later, the two managed to get away on the same dinghy.
“While the investigation into the incident continues, the incursion into British territorial waters of Gibraltar, with the disembarkation of Spanish officials in Gibraltar territory at Eastern Beach, clearly represents a serious violation of sovereignty and jurisdiction,” the Gibraltar statement said. “Similarly, if it were confirmed that Spanish agents fired their weapons at Gibraltar, such an action would constitute a very serious breach of the law, as well as being reckless and dangerous, especially in an area with a high density of civilian population,” adds. For the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, this accident “is, potentially, the most serious and dangerous in many years”. “Before reacting we must, of course, be sure of the facts, but events indicate that the behavior of the Spanish agents is intolerable”; she added.
The Spanish government “strongly rejects the terms of the joint statement issued by representatives of the British government” in relation to an “incident” involving two agents of the Spanish customs control service on a beach in Gibraltar, as well as “the claims of an alleged British sovereignty over the territory and waters of Gibraltar included in it”: this is what was stated in a statement from the Iberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “This statement is particularly incomprehensible given that Spain has put on the table an agreement to create an area of shared prosperity,” the note added, referring to ongoing negotiations between London and Madrid on the management of the common border at that point.
The press release also states that Spain “condemns the aggression suffered” by the two agents, “involved in an operation to combat smuggling in Spanish territory and in the waters near the Rock of Gibraltar” and who suffered “serious injuries” (for the stones thrown by alleged smugglers, according to Iberian media). “The Spanish government calls for effective measures to combat smuggling, which damages the entire area, and wishes the Spanish agents a speedy recovery,” the note also reads.