{"id":808027,"date":"2026-03-06T14:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/808027\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T14:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:11:15","slug":"first-protests-erupt-in-gibraltar-over-post-brexit-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/808027\/","title":{"rendered":"First protests erupt in Gibraltar over post-Brexit treaty"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Maeve Gorman and Rachel Gore<\/p>\n

AS the dust starts to settle on Gibraltar\u2019s long-awaited post-Brexit treaty, protestors gathered in the territory\u2019s main square with placards branding it \u2018treacherous\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Around 80 people marched down Main Street from the historic Casemates Square to the home of the government at Number Six Convent Place.<\/p>\n

The group blasted Bob Marley\u2019s civil rights anthem \u2018Get up, stand up\u2019 while event organisers carried a banner reading \u2018No to this treacherous treaty, yes to a referendum\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cries of \u2018British we are, British we stay\u2019 and the blare of claxons resounded through the Rock\u2019s main thoroughfare as protestors proudly waved the Rock\u2019s flag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> The Gibraltar treaty \u2013 What happens next: Ratification, border removal and remaining obstacles as the Chief Minister\u2019s future comes under the microscope<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Luis and Eddie Limar proudly hold their signs (left) before the march begun (right)<\/p>\n

One organiser, Eddie Lima, a 66-year-old retiree and born-and-bred Gibraltarian, explained his motives for organising the protest to The Olive Press.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want Spanish boots on the ground, Spanish police in our airport.\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Treaty, still to be ratified by the UK parliament before its scheduled implementation on April 10, would see Spanish officials carrying out passport checks at Gibraltar\u2019s airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Currently, British travellers flying from the UK to the Rock go through a single immigration check conducted by Gibraltar\u2019s border force.<\/p>\n

The change would mean that British passport holders will have to provide fingerprints to Spanish border officials when they arrive in Gibraltar under the terms of the EU\u2019s new Entry Exit System (EES), a digital border control system which requires non-EU nationals to register their biometrics before entry.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Hard border axed but Spain can block Brits from entering Gibraltar \u2013 all you need to know about long-awaited post<\/strong>\u2013Brexit treaty<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Gibraltar flags were waved throughout the march.<\/p>\n

Another discontented Gibraltarian Francis, 71, told The Olive Press that \u2018Spanish boots on the ground\u2019 would be the first-step to Spain \u2018claiming Gibraltar\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also believes that the Labour government is using Gibraltar as a \u2018bargaining chip\u2019 to foster closer relations with Spain and the EU.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under the treaty, Spanish authorities will have the power to \u2018perform any functions which are required to exercise border control\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Given Spain\u2019s longstanding claim to Gibraltar, protesters said the UK is handing Spain what it wants \u2013 greater control over Gibraltar \u2013 in order to cosy up to the bloc, at the expense of the Rock\u2019s \u2018sovereignty\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sovereignty\u2019 was the word on everyone\u2019s lips as protestors voiced their concerns with The Olive Press.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Gibraltan retiree, Luis Edwards, 65, told this newspaper of his outrage with the \u2018treacherous\u2019 treaty, specifically Article 66 which states that Spain and the UK can terminate the treaty, but Gibraltar cannot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no sovereignty, we have no say in our future,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked what he didn\u2019t like about the treaty he simply said, \u2018everything\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is the contents of the treaty and the \u2018grey areas\u2019 within it which are why the protestors are calling for a referendum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Francis said, they \u2018do not want a frontier\u2019 and are \u2018not opposed to a treaty\u2019 but they do not want \u2018this one\u2019.<\/p>\n

With 96% of the Rock\u2019s residents voting no in the Brexit referendum, there is real will for a workable solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the people want a say in the Rock\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Spain\u2019s King Felipe calls for \u2018restraint\u2019 over use of force in US-Israeli conflict with Iran<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Gathered outside the home of Gibraltar\u2019s government, Number Six Convent Place.<\/p>\n

The treaty was waved through the Gibraltarian government without going to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edwards wants the parliament to listen to the people: \u2018I\u2019m certain more than 50% of us don\u2019t want this treaty\u2019, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The march finished with the protestors handing a letter outlining their grievances with the treaty to Gibraltar Governor Sir Ben Bathurst.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While these passionate Gibraltarians wait to hear a response to their plea, the treaty is in the hands of the UK and the EU.<\/p>\n

Under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the UK parliament must closely scrutinise the text.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With Conservative hardliners raising concerns about how British citizens will be treated under the 90-day Schengen rule when entering Gibraltar, the process won\u2019t be straightforward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The European process is also complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The European Council must first formally authorise the agreement\u2019s signature \u2013 a process currently under scrutiny by the Council\u2019s Working Party on EU-UK Relations.<\/p>\n

For his part, Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar\u2019s Chief Minister described the treaty as \u2018imperfect\u2019 was better than the better than the \u2018catastrophic\u2019 alternative of no-deal. <\/p>\n

The Rock\u2019s future, for now it seems, may actually be out of Gibraltarian hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Click here to read more Gibraltar News<\/a> from The Olive Press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Maeve Gorman and Rachel Gore AS the dust starts to settle on Gibraltar\u2019s long-awaited post-Brexit treaty, protestors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":808028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5226],"tags":[802,748,2000,299,5187,1699,4884,18104,8626,18106,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-808027","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brexit","8":"tag-brexit","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-european","13":"tag-european-union","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-news-spain","16":"tag-newspaper","17":"tag-the-olive-press","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116182639467191162","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}