JERSEY BLITZ
French fishermen demand Macron CUT THE POWER to Jersey and make good on threats after Royal Navy drive off blockade
Peter Allen
Updated: May 6 2021, 15:06 ET
Peter Allen
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FRENCH fishermen have demanded Emmanuel Macron make good on threats to cut the power to Jersey after the 100 ship blockade broke up after the arrival of the Royal Navy.
Furious trawlermen raged as the row over fishing rights goes on - and blamed the British for failed talks over access to the waters around the Channel Island.
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Emmanuel Macron has been urged to strike back against JerseyCredit: AP
Cyril Piraud, skipper of a Normandy boat called The Pearl, was among those who set sail for Saint Helier, Jersey s capital, and staged a protest at post-Brexit rules diminishing their right to work in local waters.
Last modified on Fri 7 May 2021 00.26 EDT
Dawn was still four hours away and the small Normandy port of Carteret was alive, some boats hurriedly unloading their catch for a rapid turnaround, others turning on their lights and firing up their engines for the first time that night.
Minutes after 3am on Thursday they had left the quayside and, in pitch darkness and a gentle swell, were pushing smartly out to sea to join a growing armada of 60-odd boats from Cherbourg right the way round to St-Malo.
Ringing in their ears were the words of David Sellam, from the Caen office of Franceâs inter-regional maritime directorate, who had told them at a fiery impromptu meeting in Granville market on Monday that they were up against âpeople of ill-willâ.
France, Britain in a Show of Military Force Over Jersey Island Published May 6th, 2021 - 08:54 GMT
French boats steam across the water outside the port of St Helier on Thursday morning as they continued their demonstration. (AFP)
Highlights
Emmanuel Macron has sent a military boat racing at full speed towards Jersey.
Emmanuel Macron has sent a military boat racing at full speed towards Jersey for a stand-off with the Royal Navy as 100 French fishing vessels blockade the harbour.
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Athos was hurtling towards the British Crown dependency to confront HMS Severn and HMS Tamar - despite them being far superior in size and power - as they monitor the protest over post-Brexit fishing rights.
Four months into Brexit, the UK and France have resorted to gunboat diplomacy over fish cnn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Moment French trawler rams UK boat then chases after it as tense stand-off in Channel escalates with Macron sending SECOND gunboat to meet two Royal Navy warships after EU accuses island of breaking Brexit law
HMS Severn and HMS Tamar were sent from Portsmouth as a precaution in ratcheting up of row with France
The Royal Navy ships are roaming Channel after Paris warned yesterday it could cut off electricity to Jersey
PM deployed the ships after intelligence said 100 French boats could blockade Saint Helier Thursday morning
French maritime minister yesterday accused Jersey of dragging its feet over licences for French fishing boats