Gibraltar border town mayor urges citizens to stage massive border protest as he fumes at Spain
The mayor of Spain’s border town next to Gibraltar has urged locals to take to the streets in protest at the Spanish government’s “neglect”.
Juan Franco, the mayor of La Linea, took to social media just days ago in the wake of draconian Spanish officials kicking off a brief diplomatic spat between Spain and Gibraltar.
Despite Spain and the UK sticking to an interim agreement on cross-border travel until the two countries reach a post-Brexit deal, Gibraltar’s Government said that a rogue officer had told his men to start checking and stamping the passports of those heading to La Linea.
And now, the La Linea mayor has urged locals to get out and demonstrate, with Spain’s November 10 deadline for a deal closing in.
Speaking in an online video address, Franco warned: “The time has come to seek solutions… It is necessary to establish a contingency plan and adopt exceptional measures for La Linea.
“Eight years since the referendum, significant changes have still not been implemented.
“For this reason, we have called for a demonstration on Friday, October 25 at 8pm in Plaza de Farinas.
“We want La Linea to make its voice heard and for solutions to begin to be sought for the situation we are experiencing.”
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He said similar on Gibraltarian news channel GBC – and has warned that the EU might walk away from negotiations altogether if talks kept dragging on.
He told the broadcaster that his concern laid neither with Gibraltar or the UK over the future of the Rock – but said his “concern” was that the Brussels-led bloc might call off the talks.
Franco also stressed the need for an “imaginative” solution, given circumstances on the Rock – with its constant to-and-fro of workers heading to Spain and vice versa – were unlike those the UK was dealing with on Brexit more widely.
“If we all approach this with goodwill, we can reach a good understanding,” he said. “Otherwise, we might end up with a ‘lose-lose’ situation instead of the ‘win-win’ we all want.”
Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo called the Spanish attitude to the border measures “sporadic” as he laid into Spain’s police officers after the tit-for-tat row six days ago.
Picardo has also warned Gibraltarians and Spaniards alike to start carrying their passports, lest Spain impose the restrictions on a whim once again.
Like Franco, he has called on Spain to accept the UK’s “reasonable, balanced and imaginative” proposals for a post-Brexit deal on Gibraltar, adding the “ball is in Spain’s court”.