French fishermen are planning to “disturb British interests” by blockading Calais in their campaign to win more licences to work in UK waters.
The blockades, which will be designed to affect goods heading across the Channel from France to Britain, are likely to start at the end of the week. Details of the operation will be revealed on Thursday, but the trawlermen have made clear their intention to target British supply lines in the hope of emptying supermarket shelves.
The French authorities have joined fishermen in accusing Britain of failing to implement the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, under which European fishermen who had worked in British waters before Brexit were entitled to continue doing so.
• What is the fishing row all about?
British officials say they have fulfilled their side of the deal, and that French fishermen who were denied licences had failed to prove that they had previously operated in UK waters.
Olivier Leprêtre, chairman of the Hauts-de-France Regional Fishing Committee in northern France, said: “We are going to disturb British interests. We are also going to tell . . . Boris Johnson once again [that] your fishermen have access to European waters, so we don’t understand why we cannot have access to British waters. That was specified in the Brexit agreement.”
The blockades will target exports to the UK rather than imports to France, he said. “There is no question of slowing the French economy,” he told Europe 1 radio station. “We will hit the British economy. Those poor English people already lack goods and unfortunately things are going to get a whole heap worse for them.”
President Macron has threatened to bar British trawlers from landing their catches in French ports and to disrupt cross-Channel trade with increased customs checks if Britain refuses to grant more licences. His ministers have said that the measures will be implemented at the start of next month unless Britain backs down.
With the French presidential election next year, the issue is inflammatory and Macron is under intense pressure to show that he is defending France’s fishing sector. Officials in Paris have said that about 150 trawlermen have been denied licences to which they were entitled.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator who is running to become the centre-right Republicans’ presidential election candidate, has also been criticised. His opponents have accused him of negotiating a bad deal for French fishermen.
He has accused British ministers of acting like “pirates” and failing to implement the Brexit agreement. “There is no good faith on their behalf,” he told France Info, the rolling news radio station.
I’m not too sure, but this may be illegal under the TCA and will result in the UK challenging it via the mechanisms in the TCA for disputes.
How easy would it be just to switch to ports in Belgium? Calais is much closer, but with this and the lorry drivers running the gauntlet of people trying to stowaway on their vehicles it might be better.
Arseholes.
Board their ships, arrest the fishermen, and then sink their boats. Rinse repeat, until the rest fuck off.
At this rate, the French licences will be given to other countries come 2026. I’m sure Spanish trawlers plonked outside Calais will go down like a bag of cold sick.
Issue some Letters of Marque, Liz. For old time’s sake.
Not again, damn fishermen are never happy.
Comme dirait Philippe : ” On va pas laisser des saloperies d’anglais nous dire ce qu’on a à faire “
Blocking of Calais for various reasons happens so often because of some dispute or another, usually in summer when the various union members are wanting another day/week off, that it’s effectively become just a minor inconvenience that everyone expects. Its got to the point where you’re more shocked there isn’t one than when there is.
The funny thing about this one that those dumb bastards don’t get is it’s going to be EU hauliers and companies who will be getting damaged, not British ones. France lost a shitload of support when they fucked over thousands of EU lorry drivers last Christmas when the French government shut the port leaving lorry drivers from all over the EU stranded in the UK for no other reason than to try to teach the UK a lesson over leaving the EU.
*illegally attack and blockade medicines and food in a deadly pandemic.
Fixed.
But my treaty you have to abide by but we don’t. How French.
11 comments
French fishermen are planning to “disturb British interests” by blockading Calais in their campaign to win more licences to work in UK waters.
The blockades, which will be designed to affect goods heading across the Channel from France to Britain, are likely to start at the end of the week. Details of the operation will be revealed on Thursday, but the trawlermen have made clear their intention to target British supply lines in the hope of emptying supermarket shelves.
The French authorities have joined fishermen in accusing Britain of failing to implement the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, under which European fishermen who had worked in British waters before Brexit were entitled to continue doing so.
• What is the fishing row all about?
British officials say they have fulfilled their side of the deal, and that French fishermen who were denied licences had failed to prove that they had previously operated in UK waters.
Olivier Leprêtre, chairman of the Hauts-de-France Regional Fishing Committee in northern France, said: “We are going to disturb British interests. We are also going to tell . . . Boris Johnson once again [that] your fishermen have access to European waters, so we don’t understand why we cannot have access to British waters. That was specified in the Brexit agreement.”
The blockades will target exports to the UK rather than imports to France, he said. “There is no question of slowing the French economy,” he told Europe 1 radio station. “We will hit the British economy. Those poor English people already lack goods and unfortunately things are going to get a whole heap worse for them.”
President Macron has threatened to bar British trawlers from landing their catches in French ports and to disrupt cross-Channel trade with increased customs checks if Britain refuses to grant more licences. His ministers have said that the measures will be implemented at the start of next month unless Britain backs down.
With the French presidential election next year, the issue is inflammatory and Macron is under intense pressure to show that he is defending France’s fishing sector. Officials in Paris have said that about 150 trawlermen have been denied licences to which they were entitled.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator who is running to become the centre-right Republicans’ presidential election candidate, has also been criticised. His opponents have accused him of negotiating a bad deal for French fishermen.
He has accused British ministers of acting like “pirates” and failing to implement the Brexit agreement. “There is no good faith on their behalf,” he told France Info, the rolling news radio station.
I’m not too sure, but this may be illegal under the TCA and will result in the UK challenging it via the mechanisms in the TCA for disputes.
How easy would it be just to switch to ports in Belgium? Calais is much closer, but with this and the lorry drivers running the gauntlet of people trying to stowaway on their vehicles it might be better.
Arseholes.
Board their ships, arrest the fishermen, and then sink their boats. Rinse repeat, until the rest fuck off.
At this rate, the French licences will be given to other countries come 2026. I’m sure Spanish trawlers plonked outside Calais will go down like a bag of cold sick.
Issue some Letters of Marque, Liz. For old time’s sake.
Not again, damn fishermen are never happy.
Comme dirait Philippe : ” On va pas laisser des saloperies d’anglais nous dire ce qu’on a à faire “
Blocking of Calais for various reasons happens so often because of some dispute or another, usually in summer when the various union members are wanting another day/week off, that it’s effectively become just a minor inconvenience that everyone expects. Its got to the point where you’re more shocked there isn’t one than when there is.
The funny thing about this one that those dumb bastards don’t get is it’s going to be EU hauliers and companies who will be getting damaged, not British ones. France lost a shitload of support when they fucked over thousands of EU lorry drivers last Christmas when the French government shut the port leaving lorry drivers from all over the EU stranded in the UK for no other reason than to try to teach the UK a lesson over leaving the EU.
*illegally attack and blockade medicines and food in a deadly pandemic.
Fixed.
But my treaty you have to abide by but we don’t. How French.