The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, participated this Thursday in the presentation of the book El José Luis Díez en Gibraltar. Perfidious Bureaucracy and London's policy of non-intervention, the Spanish version of the title Red Ship and Red Tape, published in 2021.
Picardo was received at the regional headquarters in Algeciras by the president of the Mancomunidad, Juan Lozano, accompanied by Francisco Gil, coordinator of the General State Administration (AGE), and Juan José Sanz, delegate of Foreign Affairs in the region, among other authorities.
Picardo's presence in Spain had not been previously announced by the Mancomunidad, which limited itself to calling the media for the presentation of the book on Thursday morning without providing details of the planned protocol.
At Villa Smith, Picardo signed the visitors' book of the Campogibraltarian institution and also took a seat at the presidential table during the presentation of the title by Francis Silva, Luis Miguel Cerdera, Gareth Stockey, Debbie Eade and Chris Grocott. The Spanish edition was edited by Eleanor Hawkins.
The book tells the story of the José Luis Díez, a Spanish Navy warship in the Republic whose crew sought refuge in Gibraltar in 1938, during the Spanish Civil War. This intriguing story and the involvement of the Gibraltarians in offering help to the crew is recounted.
During his speech, Picardo alluded to the hope that in the near future a definitive agreement can be reached to regulate the relationship between Spain, the EU and Gibraltar after Brexit.
Picardo's grandmother embroidered the flag
In addition to this historical link between Spain and Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo's grandmother was in charge of embroidering the Republican flag of the ship. The piece will be on display at the Gibraltar Museum from Friday 3 March until Monday 10 April (Easter Monday, a public holiday in Gibraltar).