High tension in Jersey: English and French warships were used

This is a force that the French fishermen wanted to reach this Thursday, May 6th morning. 50 to 70 boats sailed quietly from 7 a.m. in front of Saint-Helier harbor. A few smoke bombs were ignited in the early hours of the morning. A few miles away, two Royal Navy ships, the HMS, were called in to “monitor the situation.” Severn and HMS A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense said that Tamar had been used as a “strict preventive measure in agreement with the Jersey government”. These “British” maneuvers should not impress us, “said Clement Beyonc, the French secretary of state for European affairs, adding that the two French patrol boats had not been sent long distances.

“With about fifty fishermen in the area, of course, we wanted to set up these two buildings in advance,” said a spokesman for the Channel and North Sea Maritime Region, referring to the work of the Athos Maritime Patrol Officer Gendermary and Maritime Affairs Themis: ” “To confirm. Both ships “rely on French waters to ensure the safety of human lives at sea, so be prepared to intervene if it deteriorates, for example, if a man is on board, there are resources in the area that can intervene as quickly as possible,” he explained. The 32-meter-long Athos already exists, while the 52-meter Themis is expected to reach the area soon.

The French fishermen set sail for the night off the coasts of Normandy and Breton. “The success of uniting all these people is unbelievable,” says Camille Leguerrell, from Corteret (Mansi), referring to “at least 70 boats”, including about fifteen Bretons. “A cargo ship, Commodore Goodwill, wants to go out and everyone is determined to stop it from going out,” he explained. “We’re not really blocking, we’re all out of harbor,” said Ludovic Lazaro, a Cranville (Manche) fisherman. “But the Jersey Port Master doesn’t want to let the cargo ship out if there are people around. He wants everyone to get out.”

Read more – Brexit: France puts pressure on Jersey over fishing

Quiet situation

According to a French military source, “the situation is generally calm.” “The guidelines for not blocking the interior of the port are currently being followed by French fishermen,” a source said. Fishermen must return to their home port early in the morning. “It’s a peaceful movement, it doesn’t have to be degenerate,” he said. Legure underscored. “Three fishing boats from Jersey came to support us,” he said. On Wednesday, Dmitry Rockoff, chairman of Normandy’s regional fisheries committee, promised it was not a question of blocking Saint – Heliore, but a “blow”. “There is no question in attacking (…) the goal of the game is to show oneself, to show that fishermen are steadfast, to support what is called,” he declared, “too much to the French minister of the sea, Anne Girard.”

On Tuesday, Annie Girardin said France was ready to take “retaliatory measures” if British authorities continued to block French fishermen from going to sea in Jersey. Prior to the National Assembly, he cited the effects of the “submarine cable transmission” from the island to France. As for Paris, the United Kingdom on Friday released a list of 41 French vessels, 344 of which have been approved for fishing in Jersey waters, but this list contains new requirements that have not been “previously consolidated, discussed or announced” as part of the Brexit agreement between London and Brussels, effective January 1. Area.

Read more – Brexit: France does not want to “impose new standards” on fishing licenses

Planned meeting

A fisherman said a delegation of French fishermen was due to meet a minister from Jersey on Thursday morning on a British boat in front of the port of St. Helier. “A boat that fished in Jersey last year (…) will be able to fish this year,” Jersey’s Assistant Minister of Environment and Foreign Affairs assured Gregory Guida of France on Thursday morning. “Considering the difficulties, we need to discuss directly with the fishermen what we are prepared to do. They all have our numbers,” he added, criticizing “a great bureaucracy.” Currently, applications for fishing licenses must go through the French and British Governments and the European Commission.

On the ITV television channel Good Morning Britain, Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, on Thursday denounced French fishermen for “wanting to fish unhindered in our waters, while our boats are subject to all kinds of conditions on how much (fish) they can catch and where they can.” He further added that the government was “very unfair” to submit to this.