Tens of thousands marched in protest against the British submarine HMS TIRELESS then in the Gibraltar dockyard. The protesters demanded that the submarine depart at once, even though repairs were not finished to her cooling system. As long-time Members will remember, the Royal Navy had a major problem some years ago with cracks in their reactors and cooling systems. At least a dozen Royal Navy submarines were recalled for this type of repair in the past.

The protest included politicians, union leaders and a number of environmentalists. They formed up across the bay from the dockyard & shouted slogans like ‘For our future’ and ‘TIRELESS out’ while others sang the old Beatles song ‘Yellow Submarine’.

The police said there were about 20,000 demonstrators but the organizers said it was more like 70,000 that turned out. While both London and Madrid have assured the locals that there is no danger, they did not believe it. This situation does not help the relations between England and Spain, which have been tense ever since the Gibraltar area was ceded to England in 1713.