Walter Finch
THE United Kingdom is set to make a diplomatic protest to Spain after a Guardia Civil patrol boat sailed up to bathers at a Gibraltar beach.
Video taken from the coast shows a Spanish vessel patrolling back and forth at the edge of the designated swimming area in British waters on Tuesday afternoon.
Eastern Beach, which is just south of the airport in territory Spain contests, was packed out with swimmers in high summer as the Spanish boat repeatedly brushed past the yellow buoys.
The government of Gibraltar was quick to condemn the incursion, which it called ‘provocative and dangerous behaviour.’
“The incursion is also an affront and a challenge to the sovereignty of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters,” it said in a statement.
“The presence of a foreign law enforcement vessel so close to the shoreline of Gibraltar represented a danger to swimmers and to other beach users.
“It can only serve to undermine confidence in Spain and in its law enforcement bodies further still, following a series of such incidents at sea over a number of months.”
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo added: “The actions of the GC are illegal under international law and are a waste of fuel if they are designed to challenge unquestionable British sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.
“The sooner all parts of the Spanish political spectrum, from left to right, realise that, the better.”
The presence of the Spanish boat, which served no apparent law enforcement purpose, has been viewed as a straightforward provocation in London.
It is the latest move in a series of increasingly febrile interactions between Spain and its tiny neighbour, seemingly kicked off this time by the encounter between England and Spain in the final of Euro 2024 on July 14.
A number of the Spanish football players celebrated their victory over the English with cries of Gibraltar español, which was taken up enthusiastically by the rest of the country and reignited diplomatic tensions.
It follows on from claims that Spain is preparing to impose a devastating hard border on Gibraltar come November if and when the EU’s new Entry Exit System is implemented.
The latest ratcheting of pressure on Gibraltar revolves around the contested British control of the isthmus that connects the peninsula with the mainland.
This is where East Beach is located, and thus Spain believes it is sovereign Spanish territory and the beach go-ers are swimming in Spanish waters.
While Spain specifically ceding the town, castle, and fortifications of Gibraltar to Britain, the Treaty of Utrecht did not explicitly include the isthmus, which at the time in the 18th century was an unoccupied no man’s land.
Since the isthmus was not included in the cession, Spain maintains that it should be considered Spanish territory.
This undeveloped land had little strategic or economic value for either side until modern engineering made reclamation feasible for strategic military purposes.
Over time, Britain expanded its control over the isthmus, particularly with significant land reclamation efforts in the 20th century, which included building the Gibraltar airport.
Historically, the isthmus has provided a crucial buffer zone for Gibraltar’s defence.
Without it, Gibraltar would be more vulnerable to territorial encroachments and military threats from mainland Spain.
The Rock also relies on the infrastructure on the isthmus for its water supply – losing it could complicate water resource management.
But the Spanish government has consistently maintained that the British presence on the isthmus is an encroachment on its sovereignty.
