The French fishermen put an end, Friday, November 26 in the afternoon, to their actions of blocking ports and the Channel tunnel, carried out as part of a day of mobilization on the Channel coast, aimed at secure the settlement of post-Brexit fishing disputes with London. Started in the morning with a blockade of the ports of Saint-Malo and then of Calais, the mobilization ended with the lifting of the blockages affecting the port of Ouistreham and the access of goods trucks to the freight terminal of the Channel Tunnel.
The dozens of vans and cars blocking the entry and exit of heavy goods vehicles in front of the Channel Tunnel left, as planned, around 4 p.m. Their action, which lasted two hours, resulted in a major traffic jam of more than a hundred trucks. For “Absorb the traffic” and “Decongest the public highway”, additional train departures have been scheduled after 4 p.m., according to a Eurotunnel spokesperson.
In Ouistreham, several trawlers also prevented a ferry from leaving the port in the early afternoon, while around forty fishermen demonstrated on land, throwing smoke bombs. Heavy goods vehicles were also blocked at the entrance to the parking lot of the ferry terminal. The initiative, symbolic on the ports, was more disturbing as regards the Channel tunnel, through which transit 25% of trade between the United Kingdom and Europe.
Earlier in the day, six fishing vessels from Boulogne-sur-Mer had deployed shortly after noon to block the port of Calais. “We want our licenses back”, could be read on a banner deployed on a trawler. It is “Put pressure on the British government”, underlined before embarking the president of the fisheries committee of Hauts-de-France, Olivier Leprêtre. He notably denounced the “Overexploitation in French waters”, generated, according to him, by the British attitude, amounting to 35 fishing licenses not issued in Hauts-de-France.
For the president of the port, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, this symbolic action should not have too great an impact. The fishermen are committed to “Do not infringe on each other’s turnover”, he stressed, specifying that there would be no complaint.
“We want our rights to be respected”
In Saint-Malo, the blockage lasted about an hour, from 8 am to 9 am, around ten fishing boats participating in the operation, activating smoke bombs. Due to the bad weather there was no ferry, but the French ships blocked a fishing boat coming from Jersey, in a good-natured atmosphere.
“When Europe and the government do not carry out threats, after a while you are forced to take control again, because otherwise you have the impression that you will not achieve anything. We are not warmongers, we want our rights to be respected, a deal has been made, the English deal is not being respected ”, declared Pascal Leclerc, president of the fisheries committee in Ille-et-Vilaine.
“We don’t want handouts, we just want our licenses back. The UK must abide by the post-Brexit deal. Too many fishermen are still left behind ”, insisted Thursday Gérard Romiti, the president of the National Fisheries Committee, during a press conference.
” The tree that hides the forest “
London received the message and reacted on Thursday evening, saying ” disappointed “ by these “Threats of protest” and urging France to “Ensure that illegal acts are not committed and that trade is not affected”.
For the President of the National Committee, “This issue of licenses is the tree that hides the forest: its resolution will depend on long-term relations with the United Kingdom”. While questioning the robustness of the European commitment alongside EU fishermen, Gérard Romiti welcomed “The ultimatum” launched Wednesday by the European Commission, which asked London to settle this dispute by December 10.
Under the Brexit deal signed at the end of 2020 between London and Brussels, European fishermen can continue to work in British waters provided they can prove that they have previously fished there. But the French and the British argue over the nature and extent of the supporting documents to be provided.
In total, since 1er January 2021, France obtained “More than 960 licenses” fishing in British waters and the Channel Islands, but Paris is still asking for more than 150 authorizations.
In this burning issue, the tone has risen several times. Last May, a French flotilla headed for Jersey for a blockade of a few hours. In the fall, Paris threatened London with “Retaliatory measures”, before giving it up temporarily to give the negotiations a chance in Brussels.
French fishermen today feel comforted by the renewed support last Sunday from President Emmanuel Macron, who assured that he would fight to the end to defend their interests.
