Following the closure of the border by General Franco, Gibraltar had – literally overnight – lost its Spanish labour force. Luckily, contingency plans had been made for this foreseeable turn of events.
Contact was made with the government of Morocco, who covered the shortage of labour by sending hundreds of Moroccans in the Spanish’s stead. Meanwhile, all Gibraltarians mucked in to cover whilst the shortages were filled. The most delicate places like the hospitals and old people’s homes were covered very effectively. Fresh fruit, vegetables and fish came from Morocco, whilst meat and other essentials were imported from UK and other countries. Nothing came from Spain, who wished to put a strangle on Gibraltar’s economy.
(Photographers capture the moment when the border is closed. 9th June, 1969)
(During the period of closure, it was customary for many people to gather daily at the border, visiting relatives and seeking news from friends and family by calling through the gate. Some even used binoculars to communicate. 1970s)
(A man shows his relatives a recent addition to the family. 1970s)
By 1970, the UN recommended to the UK that it should try by all means to decolonise Gibraltar in October of that same year. Franco interpreted this to mean that Gibraltar would be returned to Spain – if not he would take it by force. At the time the conflict felt like it could have escalated to incident short of war. I was then doing military service, which meant we were sent to the border – together with other British Regiments who were armed to the teeth. The atmosphere was tense, as Spanish military forces re-grouped with tanks and artillery in preparation for an armed assault.
(The United Nations recommended that by October 1970 Gibraltar must cease being a colony. Franco takes this as a go ahead to take back Gibraltar. Troops and tanks concentrate in the Campo area. October 1970)
The British Forces retaliated with a task force of aircraft carriers, helicopters and Royal Marine Commandos. Gibraltar became a hive of military personnel. On seeing the British response, the Spanish troops withdrew and dispersed to whence they had come. It was a happy relief that no shots were fired.
(British Task Force arrives in Gibraltar for a military exercise. Spain stands down and withdraws its forces. November, 1970)
When General Franco died in 1975, all of Gibraltar was expecting a drastic change in Spain’s government, and a possible opening of the border gates. It was believed that Spain’s pride at becoming a democratic government meant things would start to look better for us.
But years went past and nothing happened. Eventually, the UK took advantage of Spain’s desire to join the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the EU, telling them that unless they opened the border the UK would veto their entry. Talks of a re-opening were suspended, however, by the start of the Falklands War in 1982.
When war ended, negotiations commenced once again which finally led to the opening of the border. The Spanish Premier at the time, Felipe Gonzalez, told congress that he had opened the border on humanitarian grounds.
Under the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), the border was opened to pedestrians on 15th December 1982 and fully for traffic on 4th February 1985. Things began to return to a pre-closure normality: Spanish workers started jobs in Gibraltar once again, and deals were struck with Spain to open Spanish companies and other business enterprises. Massive reclamation of land from the sea was commenced to build more housing estates, which were necessary for the newly growing population.
The recent years have seen both progress and setbacks. In the year 2009, for example, tripartite talks between the British, Spanish and Gibraltar governments began, and it was decided that Gibraltar’s sovereignty would never be questioned. History was made when these talks were followed, for first time in 300 years, with a visit to Gibraltar by a Spanish Foreign Minister, Señor Moratinos. Another breakthrough was the arrival of flights to Gibraltar by Spain’s National Airline, Iberia.
The 2011 election of the conservative Partido Popular has in many ways reversed the good work achieved by the government’s predecessors. Harsh checks at the border have been justified by Spanish claims of contraband smuggling, the same issue of the late 19th century. Last summer’s hostility over the Gibraltar’s expansion of its artificial reef for instance, in which Spain claimed impacted on local fisherman, once again brought border disputes to the fore.
Despite the fraught history of this small stretch between us and our neighbour, I hope one day that we live in a time where contempt is replaced by reason.
(Gonzalo Arias, a Spanish pacifist, jumped the fence several times in protest against the Spanish closure of the border. He was arrested every time. 1970s)
Click here to read part one.
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