Sunday 5 October 2014

Total breach of security now by Air - SPANISH FIGHTER JETS 'ILLEGALLY INVADE' BRITISH AIRSPACE OVER GIBRALTAR

Spanish Jet Fighters entering illegally into Gibraltar Airspace!

Courtesy Express - http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/518873/Gibraltar-airspace-illegally-invaded-Spanish-fighter-jets

Spanish fighter jets illegally invade British airspace over Gibraltar

SPANISH fighter jets illegally entered UK airspace to fly “across the bows” of a British airliner in a “reckless and dangerous” stunt over Gibraltar.

Gilbraltar airspace invaded by Spanish fighter jetsThe incident is being investigated by the Foreign Office [GETTY]
The incident, being investigated by the Foreign Office, happened as the Monarch flight carrying passengers from Manchester was making its delicate approach on to the Rock, one of the world’s trickiest landings.
Last night a senior Tory MP called on Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to send Spain’s Ambassador to Britain, Federico Trillo, “packing back to Madrid”.
The Sunday Express has learned the passenger jet’s captain reported seeing the two aircraft less than half a mile away and air traffic controllers at Gibraltar International Airport noticed “two dots” on their radar just before 10.30am on September 19.
Both jets, thought to be Eurofighter Typhoons, were clearly in Gibraltar airspace without permission but attempts to communicate with them were ignored.
Last night Gibraltar’s outraged government said the “intolerable” incident marked a new phase in Spain’s deliberate flouting of British sovereignty.
It is intolerable that Spanish military aircraft are now not only infringing our airspace but also behaving in a reckless and dangerous manner
A spokesman
A government spokesman said: “Spanish vessels already regularly violate the sovereignty of our waters. It is intolerable that Spanish military aircraft are now not only infringing our airspace but also behaving in a reckless and dangerous manner.”
While no commercial airliner has ever crashed while landing at Gibraltar, it is widely regarded as having one of the world’s top 10 most challenging runways, with pilots having to contend with strong winds, the 1.400ft Rock of Gibraltar and the tight envelope of British airspace.
Last night retired pilot Chris Hammond said: “I used to go there quite regularly. It’s a restricted airfield, which means only specially cleared pilots are allowed to fly there.
“It presents a challenging approach, especially when wind conditions mean pilots have to make an easterly approach.
“You need to go inside the harbour and only half if it is British airspace and you are not allowed to stray into Spanish airspace. Then you have to make a last-minute sharp 90 degree turn to the right. That happened less than a mile and half from landing.
“All your attention is focused on the approach and the last thing you need is to see two unexpected jets where they’re not supposed to be. The real question in the pilot’s mind would have been what they were going to do next.”

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Andrew Rosindell MP, chairman of the parliamentary Overseas Territory group, said: “My committee is com-pletely shocked by the weakness of the Foreign Office in addressing the Spanish issue and its failure to tackle what Madrid is doing. We are pussyfooting around while Spain is running rings around us. It is outrageous that Spain continues to behave in such an irresponsible and bullying fashion.
“Spain refuses to let British military jets fly over Spanish airspace on the way to Gibraltar even though they are partners in Nato, yet they think it’s fine to enter British airspace illegally and potentially distract an airliner as it is trying to safely land on the Rock.
“It’s time that the British Government sent the Spanish Ambassador packing back to Madrid. We are fed up with the bullying and intimidation from Spain, and it’s time we showed we are no longer prepared to put up with it.”
Mr Trillo, Spain’s ambassador to Britain since 2012, has been formally summoned to the Foreign Office on three occasions in the past 12 months over repeated Spanish incursions into British waters around Gibraltar and massive delays for drivers at the border caused by heavy-handed Spanish frontier guards.
Last night a Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of the incident on September 19. We are reassured that there was no risk to safety caused by the activity of the jets.
“We are continuing to examine the incident to ascertain whether it was within the lawful right of passage.”

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Courtesy Gibraltar Chronicle-  http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=34734


SPANISH FIGHTER JETS 'ILLEGALLY INVADE' BRITISH AIRSPACE OVER GIBRALTAR - REPORT

Spanish fighter jets illegally entered UK airspace to fly “across the bows” of a British airliner in a “reckless and dangerous” stunt over Gibraltar, according to a report in the Sunday Express.

The incident, being investigated by the Foreign Office, happened as the Monarch flight carrying passengers from Manchester was making its delicate approach on to the Rock, the UK newspaper reported in a front page article.
 The Sunday Express said the passenger jet’s captain reported seeing the two aircraft less than half a mile away and air traffic controllers at Gibraltar International Airport noticed “two dots” on their radar just before 10.30am on September 19.

According to the report, both jets, thought to be Eurofighter Typhoons, were clearly in Gibraltar airspace without permission but attempts to communicate with them were ignored.

A Foreign Office spokesman told the Sunday Express: “We are aware of the incident on September 19. We are reassured that there was no risk to safety caused by the activity of the jets.”

“We are continuing to examine the incident to ascertain whether it was within the lawful right of passage.”

A Gibraltar Government spokesman said: “Spanish vessels already regularly violate the sovereignty of our waters.”

“It is intolerable that Spanish military aircraft are now not only infringing our airspace but also behaving in a reckless and dangerous manner.”

PRECEDENT

This is not the first time that Spanish military jets have flown close to the Rock.

In July last year, the Chronicle reported on how four Spanish jets “buzzed” the Rock and delay to a commercial flight.

The four planes – the Spanish version of the Harrier jet – were flying back to the Spanish aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I, which was on a training exercise about 10 miles southeast off the Rock.

The jets approached the Rock from the northwest before turning east out into the Mediterranean and south toward the ship.

Eyewitnesses said the Matador jets flew in from behind Los Barrios and very close to the north end of the Rock.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence played down the incident at the time and insisted there was no evidence to suggest the Spanish planes entered Gibraltar airspace.

But the planes flew close enough to generate alarm and prompt an angry response from the Gibraltar Government.

On the tarmac in Gibraltar, the outbound British Airways flight was delayed by 12 minutes.
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In the last few months we have had numerous illegal incursions by sea by the para military and the Spanish Navy. Also numerous incursions on illegal fishing. Not only that, we have constant harassment by Spanish Para military trying to enforce jurisdiction in our British Gibraltar Territorial Waters!
What is UK government doing about all this? - simple answer NOTHING! We are just a pawn in a bigger political game and we are - as a people and as a country being sacrificed and undermined! 
We are at the mercy of pencil pushers in the Foreign Office (FCO) these people who have no clue of who we are or where we are! These people who think Gibraltar is in Malta - these people who call us Gibraltese or Gibraltans!
How can we ever expect the UK Government or their FCO to do their job if they have no real knowledge about our people - our culture etc.
Recently we have heard and read how our own Governor is not aware and he is here with us! IF he thinks and says that we are an insular kind of people - this is exactly what the FCO think about us too! This is not acceptable! They believe this only because we demand that they keep to our Constitution that clearly states and they accepted that they (that is UK Government and FCO) - are responsible for the security of Gibraltar and our Foreign affairs!
So now when the shit hits the fan - where is their action?
as per our constitution - Governor’s special responsibilities 
47.-(1) The Governor, acting in his discretion, shall be responsible in Gibraltar for 
the conduct (subject to this Constitution and any other law) of the following matters – 
(a) external affairs; 
(b) defence; 
(c) internal security, including (subject to section 48) the police; 
 (d) such functions in relation to appointments to public offices and related matters 
as are conferred on him by this Constitution: 
 Provided that the Governor shall in respect of external affairs as far as practicable 
act in consultation with the Chief Minister. 
(2) For the avoidance of doubt it is declared that any matter which falls outside the 
special responsibilities of the Governor set out in subsection (1), or which is not a 
function which this Constitution or any other law requires the Governor to exercise in 
his discretion, is the responsibility of Ministers. 38
(3) Without prejudice to the United Kingdom’s responsibility for Gibraltar’s 
compliance with European Union law, matters which under this Constitution are the 
responsibility of Ministers shall not cease to be so even though they arise in the 
context of the European Union. 
(4) The exercise by the Governor of his responsibility for external affairs and 
defence is without prejudice to the overall responsibility of Her Majesty’s 
Government in the United Kingdom for these matters. 
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It looks like once again UK Government wants to be the peace maker on an issue that would stop being an issue if only UK Government was honest and truthful and told SPAIN to keep off and out of Gibraltar! The same stance shown to the people of The Falklands is the same stance we want! 
Really is Petrol and Oil more important than 30,000 British Gibraltarians?
We now have to educate our present Governor Sir James Dutton and remove the FCO brainwashing thinking - which we will do as we always do by showing them the people we really are and not what they have been blindly taught!
Anne-Marie Struggles