Never shut the border again!

PUBLISHED: December 29, 2012 at 9:20 am  •  LAST EDITED: December 29, 2012 at 9:20 am
Andalucia, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Lead2  •  1 Comments

GIBRALTAR and La Linea have come together to mark the 30th anniversary of the reopening of the frontier.

The blockade, in place for 13 years during the Franco era, was lifted for pedestrians on December 15, 1982.

During the closure, designed to sink Gibraltar’s economy, Spanish workers left the Rock and telephone communication was cut.

“The government salutes the resolve and spiritual strength of past generations of Gibraltarians, who suffered the blockade and united as a people to resist the concerted efforts of the Spanish government to take the sovereignty of Gibraltar,” read a government statement.

“Many of these are alive today and can take comfort from their contribution to our political, cultural and social evolvement.”

Debt

La Linea mayor Gemma Araujo marked the occasion by urging the Spanish government to consider the impact of the current sovereignty row on the residents of the town.

“The opening of the border ended a Franco-era measure that, irrespective of the national or international political goal, represented a hammer blow to our city unlike that suffered by any other city,” said Araujo.

“I urge everyone to continue on the road of good neighbourly relations, and the Spanish government to realise it has a debt with this city.”

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