Giles Brown
FOLLOWING the border delays created by the Spanish authorities the number of hits on the Gibraltar Government’s frontier queue website reached almost 30,000 on Sunday .
This is ten times more than the number of daily hits routinely experience by the site.
The number of people checking www.frontierqueue.gi started to increase on Thursday 25 July. In the four day period up until the worst delays on the Sunday there were over 28,000 hits from Gibraltar, over 18,000 from Spain and over 3,000 from the United Kingdom.
There were also hits from a number of other EU countries such as Germany, France, Portugal, Ireland and Italy. The website also experienced hits from places as far as the United States, Australia and Japan.
Officials stated that they were considering upgrading the website if the diplomatic tensions continued.
how about an article oon the recent delays..
The Frontier Queue website is a very visible indicator of the delays caused by the Spanish Guardia Civil.
They obviously don’t like anyone recording their bad behaviour, because when some of the ‘Defenders of Gibraltar’ members take pictures of the delays at the border, the Guardia Civil get very upset. Not because the GC personnel’s faces can be seen, but because it prevents them from acting disgracefully without the evidence of this reaching the EU in Brussels and Strasbourg.
It is for this reason that the Government of Gibraltar should take steps to upgrade to High-Definition all the web-cameras on the Frontier Queues, so that Brussels can monitor Spain’s failure to comply with their treaty obligations of free-movement within the EU.
Gibraltar also needs to add further cameras with High Definition, to ensure that if any Gibraltar citizen is treated unfairly, beaten or man-handled without provocation, then a complaint may be made to the International Courts and the EU for violations of the citizen’s human rights.
It would also help if more cameras were made available to monitor all sea traffic in the Bay of Gibraltar, especially the British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, so that any Guardia Civil vessel that trespasses can be lawfully detained, confiscated and their crews imprisoned until Spain gives assurances that they will not trespass in British waters again without permission.
Can someone please explain this Gibraltar nonsense?
Just why do this tiny population insist on being British (although they don’t want to live there)? Why do they make such a big fuss to not be part of Spain (but complain about traffic delays getting in and out of the place)? And why do so many other Brits, happily living in Spain, so ardently support the Gibraltarians cause that this little piece of Spain not be Spanish?
As an outsider sympathetic to both sides, I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.
Dear Alun, as an outsider you clearly have not even bothered to ask the people involved whats going on.
The people in Gib identify themselves as British.
(the people who dont want to live there – dont live there. i guessing i misunderstood that question?!?!?!)
That little bit of Britain was only under spanish rule for a short time – it has belonged to others, for longer. so please read some history before making infalmatory comments.
As for support by fellow Brits, i’m sure you would support your countrymen if they expressed concern about some old colonial power tried to invade their land.
In short, the fuss is, as always, a distraction from the corruption, theft, and ineptitude of the spanish government.
comprende?
@Alun
The people of Gibraltar have the same right of Self-Determination that belongs to you or I or the people of the Falkland Islands. They choose to be British, even though in many cases (for Gibraltar), their heritage derives from Spain or Morocco or elsewhere.
Self-Determination is one of the most fundamental human rights, right below the right to life. It’s one of the reasons that it is so prominent in the Charter of the United Nations.
The fact is that the people of Gibraltar have such close ties to the United Kingdom, that could not think of themselves as any other nationality and they overwhelmingly reject any idea of sharing their sovereignty.
Indeed, the people of Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands (and the Channel Islands), ought to be represented in the House of Commons with their own MP. That way when they are pressured by their neighbour, they can make their voice heard loud and clear in Parliament.
There is a degree of hypocrisy in Spain’s position, because while they harass & bully Gibraltar with the intention of recovering it, they refuse to hand back the colonies they have on the Morocco coast.
It’s a European trade stronghold too Alun that is British soil. Great to read views by succinct writers like Nigel on here rather than just ‘have a pop’ comments.
I hope the Olive Press encourages more of this and less of the other. It would be a better read for visitors.
I waited in the queue for three & quarter hours to enter Gibraltar this morning, having checked the frontier website before I left home in Torreguardiaro, which stated that there were no queues, but obviously that status changed pretty quickly. I wouldn’t normally bother to join a long queue, knowing how long it can take to cross, but the queue I joined this morning wasn’t that long, so I thought I’d stick with it. I had to have my car in Gibraltar today because I had a few places to visit. The checking of cars by Spanish officials will not stop me from visiting Gibraltar when I want to, as I’ll park in La Linea and walk across, as I have done many times before, and will be doing this Thursday. While I was waiting in the queue, I was wondering to myself that if this delay continues up to Christmas, I still won’t be put off going to Gibraltar, and I’ll walk across and catch the bus back with my Chritmas purchases! I spend my general day-to-day life in Spain and I spend most of my money there, but I like to go to Gibraltar at least 3 or 4 times a month to treat myself to something nice. It is up to the people of Gibraltar who and what they want to be.
Tried several times this week to use the webcam site,but every time I tap the link, I am sent back to the. google page. Spanish interference?
Well, it looks as if it will all kick off on Sunday. The Spanish fishermen had a meeting this afternoon and agreed to try and raise the concrete blocks from the Gibraltar reef.
“http://www.intereconomia.com/noticias-gaceta/politica/quien-tiene-que-retirar-los-bloques-gibraltar-20130816?”
The Royal Navy ships arrive on Monday, so the fishermen are getting together to try and move them before the Royal Navy prevents them.
Only problem is that the blocks weigh 12 tonnes each and they would have to send down divers to attach the lifting gear. Divers can be arrested and the Royal Gibraltar Police and Gibraltar Squadron of the Royal Navy will be there. Not to mention a few Gibraltarian divers, who may assist the RGP.
The news crews have been alerted, so you may be able to watch the spectacle on News 24 or Sky News.
There is now a new free app for Android and Apple Devices where you can check all the live info about the frontier:
On Itunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gibraltar-frontier/id585569705?mt=8
On Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gibraltarfrontier2
Om Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gibraltar-Frontier/262846427175217