Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Our boys are ready for a fight... if the French come back it will be a war zone
Jersey fishermen’s warning after ‘invasion’ drama
FISHERMEN on Jersey last night warned of a “summer of discontent” if French trawlers try to blockade the island again.
Many of them were taken aback by the French “invasion” on Thursday, which saw angry trawlermen sail in to confront UK gunboats in a row over licences.
But Jersey fisherman Paul Bizec yesterday insisted: “When they come back, we will be ready for them. It’s going to get messy. It’ll be like a war zone”
The 59-year-old added: “Our boys are getting ready for a fight. The French have been raiding our shores all they like while I can only fish once a week.
“We will pelt them with frozen tomatoes and rotten fruit. They’ll be sorry they messed with us.
“It will be retaliation on a big scale. The French don’t play fair so we will play them at their own game.”
Fellow fisherman Richard Le Brun, 68, added: “It is going to get worse
– a summer of
What we want is the spirit of the Battles of Agincourt and Crecy MARK RIVE ON STANDING UP TO FRENCH FISHERMEN
discontent. There will be months and months of this protesting.
“We have capitulated to them numerous times and they always come back demanding more. “You’ll get them protesting at UK ports too, if they don’t get their way. “If we went and protested at their ports they would ram us or set our boats on fire.
They would throw a bucket of diesel over the catch so it is worthless.
“We are p***ed off and we won’t take them coming back.
“As soon as they come into the harbour, it will get very dirty. The French have started this – but we will finish it.”
On board his boat in St Helier, Mick Watton, 69, said: “We are just fighting for what’s ours. The French have overfished the area for years.” And his friend Mark Rive, 55, said: “We are so grateful the British navy arrived to help us here in Jersey.
“We want the spirit of the Battles of Agincourt and Crecy. Our boats are not
allowed to fish inside French waters. It’s a mess and there’s a lot of bureaucracy on both sides.”
Lobsterman Andrew Thorpe, 52, also invited us on to his boat.
He said: “I just wish the authorities would sort out the issues with the French. I’ve been fishing here since I was a kid. There are too many regulations.” On Thursday, more than 60
French boats sailed from Normandy to Jersey in protest over the controversial new rules on licences.
A tense stand-off ensued before the French vessels left to return to their home ports.
They said they would return soon unless the situation is resolved.
A blockade of Calais is rumoured to be taking place later this month.
France has also threatened to switch off the undersea cables that supply Jersey with electricity.
But last night, island officials said they could cope by using local diesel power stations.
Jersey, a self-governing Crown dependency which relies on the UK for its defence, was never part of the EU but has been caught up in the
UK’S withdrawal. The French say postbrexit rules are unfair and have demanded change.
Yesterday, they officially notified the island government that Jersey boats will no longer be able to land their catch at ports in Normandy.
External Relations Minister Ian Gorst said it was “regrettable” and vowed to appeal to the European
Commission. But islander Matt Swann, 39, said: “We can cope. The island got through the Second World War, we can certainly get through this.”
This weekend, Jersey will celebrate Liberation Day – the 76th anniversary of the island being freed after five years of Nazi occupation.