A massive Brexit row has erupted as 12,000 protesters took to the streets of La Linea, located next to Gibraltar, demanding a Brexit treaty.
La Linea has close economic ties to Gibraltar, with as many as 15,000 residents crossing the border daily for work.
The protest, organised by local officials and supported by political and social groups, called for “special measures” to protect the city’s economy, which has been affected by the delays in reaching a Brexit agreement.
Yesterday, at 8pm, the demonstrators set off to the border from the Plaza Fariñas, where bars and restaurants were packed with protestors.
The scale of the demonstration seemed to surprise even the organizers. Spanish police put the figure at around 10,000, though La Linea’s city council said as many as 12,000 may have attended.
Upon reaching the border, a sea of people stretched back toward the city centre, demonstrating the city’s unity.
Crowds of people held placards saying, “Deal now,” in response to the dragging three-year EU negotiations with no agreement in sight.
Speaking to the Gibraltar Chronicle, Vitoria Jiménez, who has worked for 17 years in Gibraltar, said: “We have a lot at stake.
“The whole city needs to be in the streets to demand a resolution to Brexit. We are scared because many people depend on Gibraltar.”
Addressing the crowds La Linea mayor Juan Franco said: “The unity on show here in the face of the biggest challenge we have faced since 1969, when the border was closed and we lost nearly 30,000 citizens who emigrated in the space of a year.”
“We cannot allow a repeat of that situation.”
In the lead-up to the protest, the La Linea City Council launched a campaign to raise awareness among residents, distributing leaflets and visiting shops to explain the demonstration’s objectives.
According to Franco, the goal is to demand more information from the Spanish government and the Junta de Andalucia regarding the potential impacts of Brexit on the local economy.