French fishing crews have mounted “symbolic” protests at the Channel tunnel and three ports in northern France in a day of action against the British government over the ongoing dispute about access of French boats in the Channel. The fishers lit red flares as they started their protest on Friday at the port of Saint-Malo before moving on to Calais and the Channel tunnel in the afternoon. Half a dozen fishing vessels blocked access to Calais port, the main gateway to Europe from the UK, in a 90-minute protest, with similar protests mounted in the port of Ouistreham and access roads to the Channel tunnel. “We want our licences back,” read an English-language banner brandished on one of the boats, the Marmouset II. Friday’s blockades did not bring traffic to a halt but were designed as “a warning shot” against the British, said Olivier Lepretre, the president of the regional fishing committee in Calais. He added that it was “a symbolic action” but if the dispute over what they say is the UK’s failure to issue the French their full complement of fishing licences continues, they will escalate their actions and “show more teeth”. He said: “The British have access to the European market, while we do not have access to British waters. This is not normal, the British government must respect the agreement.”
The protests were mounted as a demonstration of what the fishers said was the contemptuous and humiliating approach of the UK since Brexit. Gérard Romiti, the president of the national maritime fisheries committee, told reporters that all they wanted was the honouring of the trade and cooperation deal sealed on Christmas Eve last year. He described the demonstration as legitimate and said it aimed to prevent “British bad faith” from prevailing in the fishing dispute and in other matters. “We want the agreement signed on 24 December 2020 to be respected,” Romiti said. “We don’t want handouts, we just want our licences back. The UK must abide by the post-Brexit deal. Too many fishermen are still in the dark. “We have been waiting with bated breath for 11 months. The patience of professionals has limits. We hope this warning shot will be heard,” he said, refusing to rule out further actions in the future.
Romiti said the dispute should be seen in the wider context of the UK’s strained relationship with the EU and France on a range of issues including Northern Ireland and the people-trafficking crisis in the Channel. “If the question of the licences may seem minor at the European level to some, it’s part of a much bigger picture,” he said. “The long-term relationship with the UK depend on the resolution of this issue.” The dispute broke out after Britain left the EU, with Paris claiming London is not respecting the post-Brexit arrangements agreed on Christmas Eve. The EU has said it wants the dispute resolved by 10 December.