Spain shoots at jet skiers.... ?

[Rigger Mortice]

Can you imagine the uproar if a Royal Navy ship had shot at a jet ski in Portsmouth because it 'buzzed' them

I don't know if it still applies but there was a 50 metre exclusion zone around naval vessels in Plymouth. Armed guards on deck; very visibly holding rifles. You made sure that you didn't get too close as you went tacking up river and, whilst you would get a friendly wave as you tacked, you also knew they were there to protect that exclusion zone.

If they had fired I suspect that most people would have said "Good. They were doing their job". I doubt that those guns were loaded with rubber bullets either.

 

[robertj]

How about sending a Type 46 Destroyer, to randomly pump a few "rounds" into Spanish territory?

Our problematic relationship with the EU has always been about us employing people to to religiously enforce regulations on ourselves whilst everybody else blatantly ignores them.

Or possibly not employing a destroyer but warn british people about this incident and to avoid spain until it becomes safe to holiday there!

 

[VO5]

It is not necessary to have the previous 10 minutes.
The video is self explanatory.
The GC boat regularly infringes and enters British Gibraltar Territorial Waters with impunity.
It is not the only GC vessel to do so, and all of them do so regularly, to show off, doing silly figure eights and loops at high speed, behaving like dysfunctional adolescents.
The GC vessel was already there, and having completed the incursion, and entering shallow water, turned around to leave.
If it had been chasing, it would have stopped and waited, but it did not.
The jetski now comes out on a parallel course westwards.
Why open fire ?
Simple.
Spanish arrogant hotheads.
They never for one moment believed they were being filmed.
They thought they could put on one of their typical displays of testosterone fuelled action and get away with it.
Only this time they have been caught red handed because additionally the cracks of the shots have been recorded.
And rather than admit, and apologise, every attempt is made to blur the evidence in an attempt to wriggle out of a situation of their own making.
In reply to your third question, the jetskier was trying out his new jetski.
It would seem unthinkable for him to deliberately incurse Spanish waters to try it. Why go into the middle of the bay on a new untried machine ?
It is obvious to everyone if it is not to you.
And I am beginning to get the impression that you take delight in prolonging silly circular argument just for the sake of it.
The facts are the jetski was unarmed, it was well within British Gibraltar Territorial waters, it was fired upon by a GC patrol boat that had neither the right to be there nor to fire at anyone without reasonable cause and proper warning, and then, in Spanish waters and not in anybody else's, period.

 

[Nostrodamus]

What happened was wrong and I agree that the Spanish are continually harassing Gibraltar with incursions.
Looking at the video again I still find there is something that does not sit right.
The jet skier seems to be taunting the GC boat in the way he is going round in a circle rather than just getting out of there all together.
There may be a number of explanations and will the truth ever come out... I doubt it.
If the jet ski were smuggling or taunting the GC boat he is unlikely to admit it.
The Spanish will put out something to make them look as innocent as possible.

 

[capnsensible]

Do you REALLY believe it is all as simple as you imply?

The investigating officers of the Royal Gibraltar Police who have access to ALL the facts do. So does the British Prime Minister.

Internet posters drawing inferences from inadequate information, clearly, do not.

 

[VO5]

Hereunder is what Nostradamus, whose boat Cygnus 111 has been in the neighbouring Spanish town of La Linea for the past year, really thinks of us. From his website, noted.

So what were La Linea and Gibraltar like for a winter base? The combination is Ying and Yang. They are just so different in every respect but that is something we enjoyed. Each day was spent with Euros in one pocket and ponds in the other. On the Spanish side they only speak Spanish whereas in Gibraltar they speak English, Spanish and of course Gibberish. La Linea is a little run down compared to its affluent neighbour but once again it is the friendliness of the Spanish people who win you over.

There are tourist sites to see in Gibraltar, mainly up the rock with its monkeys, siege tunnels and caves. There are also spectacular views or so we are told. In all our time here we didn’t go up to see but we will leave that for another time.

 

[chinita]

I see no relevance in the last post.

However, I have today written to David Lidington MP, Minister for Europe.

I have asked for an update on investigations and to be informed of the outcome in due course of time.

 

[RobbieW]

I will admit to being admonished by my wife for a low key rendition of the old 10cc hit 'Rubber Bullets' whilst passing through the Guardia checkpoint at the border Thursday evening.

 

[[70521]]

I spent a few days at South Sheilds last week. Spent a pleasent few hours watching the boats and ships enter and leave the Tyne. Then not one, but two jet skiers arrived. I wonder if the chaps who took the reported "pot shots" were as p1$$ed off as me with the noise?

 

[fergie_mac66]

I spent a few days at South Sheilds last week. Spent a pleasent few hours watching the boats and ships enter and leave the Tyne. Then not one, but two jet skiers arrived. I wonder if the chaps who took the reported "pot shots" were as p1$$ed off as me with the noise?

Problem with swatting wasps . you swat one and 50 appear

 

[VO5]

I see no relevance in the last post.

However, I have today written to David Lidington MP, Minister for Europe.

I have asked for an update on investigations and to be informed of the outcome in due course of time.

No of course you wouldn't but that is no surprise.

Let us know first when he acknowledges receipt of your letter.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Hereunder is what Nostradamus, whose boat Cygnus 111 has been in the neighbouring Spanish town of La Linea for the past year, really thinks of us. From his website, noted.

So what were La Linea and Gibraltar like for a winter base? The combination is Ying and Yang. They are just so different in every respect but that is something we enjoyed. Each day was spent with Euros in one pocket and ponds in the other. On the Spanish side they only speak Spanish whereas in Gibraltar they speak English, Spanish and of course Gibberish. La Linea is a little run down compared to its affluent neighbour but once again it is the friendliness of the Spanish people who win you over.

There are tourist sites to see in Gibraltar, mainly up the rock with its monkeys, siege tunnels and caves. There are also spectacular views or so we are told. In all our time here we didn’t go up to see but we will leave that for another time.

I am trying to work out the relevance as well VO5.. can you enlighten us?

 

[[70521]]

Problem with swatting wasps . you swat one and 50 appear

Gawd, are those things that popular?

 

[VO5]

I am trying to work out the relevance as well VO5.. can you enlighten us?

Yes.

We don't talk gibberish here.

We lay out the facts, and in detail, so that even the most challenged can understand.

We never surrender.

We are determined to preserve our heritage, our customs, our homeland, our people, our way of life, our British way of life and our loyalty to The Crown, our identity, our lifestyle, our standards, our close connection with the English Speaking World, and the protection of our sovereignty.

We will never be ruled by our immediate neighbours.

We will never allow ourselves to be cowered.

We will not hand over our sovereignty, or change our nationality, or consent to be crushed.

We will never exchange our constitution, our civil and legal system or our government for any other.

We will not be ruled by Spain.

We never surrender.

 

[Daydream believer]

Well I wouldn't trust Cameron in charge of a pencil sharpener, but we Brits can't let this go without retaliation.

I understand the RN have responded with a warship sent to patrol.

Funnily enough the Spanish have AV-8B Harrier 2+ aircraft, while thanks to Cameron we - the inventors of the Harrier - now have none.

Where are we going to find a warship?
Or have we rented one off the French?
Perhaps Avis could sort one for us

 

[VO5]

Where are we going to find a warship?
Or have we rented one off the French?
Perhaps Avis could sort one for us

There is no need for that.
A surplus arctic icebreaker would do the job.
Not necessarily to ram, but just to push out of the way.

 

[Garold]

Yes.

We don't talk gibberish here.

We lay out the facts, and in detail, so that even the most challenged can understand.

We never surrender.

We are determined to preserve our heritage, our customs, our homeland, our people, our way of life, our British way of life and our loyalty to The Crown, our identity, our lifestyle, our standards, our close connection with the English Speaking World, and the protection of our sovereignty.

We will never be ruled by our immediate neighbours.

We will never allow ourselves to be cowered.

We will not hand over our sovereignty, or change our nationality, or consent to be crushed.

We will never exchange our constitution, our civil and legal system or our government for any other.

We will not be ruled by Spain.

We never surrender.

I guess that's the only attitude to have if we want to keep hold of Gibraltar.

Never been there myself but the strategic importance alone would seem to make it important.

Hardly surprising that V05 is more vehement that the rest of us, since he clearly experiences the Spanish mischief making more often as a resident in Gib.

As for the jetskier, it really doesn't matter what he was up to, it can't be right for the Spanish military to cross the border without permission, or to fire anything towards him or anyone else in our territorial waters. I'm not sure that a similar incursion into Spain would be welcomed or even easily excused as individual hot-headedness.

However, it's also likely that this will not be the last incursion as Spain probably has some covert policy of causing anxiety and aggravation to the residents of Gibraltar, perhaps in the hope that they will just pack up and leave at some point.

Cheers

Garold

 

[chinita]

I believe someone once mentioned on these forums that he made a favourable comment on some equipment he had used. He mentioned that he was told that he was all wrong by someone who admitted they had never used the gear themselves.......

But I am not questioning the veracity of what you are saying.

I am trying to discover why the GC took their extreme action. I am afraid that 'arrogant hotheads' does not quite explain it.

Loafing about in someone else's territorial waters is one thing; it is a massive escalation to use firearms on a resident of those waters.

IMO the salient point is not the presence of the GC (as that has been well aired), but the alleged indiscriminate and illegal use of weapons and I believe that it is this point which should be driven to ground.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

Hereunder is what Nostradamus, whose boat Cygnus 111 has been in the neighbouring Spanish town of La Linea for the past year, really thinks of us. From his website, noted.

What on earth has that got to do with the matter in hand?

Perhaps he has a point though. It's beginning to look, from what I've seen on this thread so far that there are elements within Gib who are absolutely determined to paint the Spanish in a bad light. A bit more objectivity and a little less willingness to take unsubstantiated rumour as being fact is called for.

 

[Nautorius]

Gents,
The fact is when on a Jet ski you go around fast, do donuts and mess around. That is what a Jet ski is for. The Area he was messing around in was British Gibraltar Waters. In this area he is allowed to mess around. The fact that there was a Guardia Civil Boat there was an irrelevance to him. He was messing about in a Jet ski in a place it was registered (Is G registered) in a place he was allowed. He was not annoying the Guardia Civil, just having fun. The Guardia Civil Boat was clearly in British Gibraltar waters and was wrong to be there. The fact they discharged weapons is out of order.
The individual and his family are quite wealthy (hence the new Jet Ski) and would not be smuggling Cigarettes. The Jet ski had Gib registration numbers on the Bow so was clearly a Gib Jet ski. There is smuggling but by Spanish Nationals on Spanish Boats. I have a Speedboat here in Gib and if I go and play anywhere near la Linea I sometimes get a visit from the RGP or a Patrol boat asking what I am up to. As I am innocent I have no issue. if in Spanish waters I have no problem if the Guardia Civil stop me. However I have been in Gib waters when a Guardia Vessel comes near and I ignore it......and just carry on. If I ignored it and he started shooting it would not be very good.
Yes there are mitigating issues like smuggling but there are also protocols where the GC call the RGP (who had a man on the beach) and the RGP would investigate (and do). This was and is outrageous. You cannot defend the GC for this. Can you imagine if this happened in the Falklands…….
N