A fishermen's group is organizing a blockade in the Eurotunnel and English Channel ports in northern France to protest the ongoing uncertainty of their fishing licenses. The group is planning to hold the blockade on Friday as a way of forcing the UK to give them back their fishing rights.
In a post on Facebook, a French fishermen's group called on others to participate in the protest. The group plans to block ferries entering and exiting Saint-Malo, Calais, and Ouistreham. The group said they are protesting to denounce the current conditions of the Brexit deal and to let the government know the plight of the local fishermen.
The group said the blockade is meant to be a "warning" for the UK and the French government to resolve the issue so they can get back to fishing. Several fishing boats had departed the harbor of Calais on Wednesday to participate in the planned blockade.
The president of the National Committee for Maritime Fisheries, Gérard Romiti, said fishermen are not necessarily looking for handouts, but they are only asking for their fishing licenses back.
As part of the post-Brexit deal agreed at the end of 2020, France is requesting extra fishing permits in London and the Channel Island of Jersey. European fishermen can continue to fish in British seas if they can show that they have previously fished there. However, the French and British disagree on the kind and scope of the supporting documentation that must be submitted.
According to the French Ministry of the Sea, France has secured more than 960 permits for fishing in British seas and the Channel Islands since January, but it is still requesting more than 150 additional licenses. For its part, the UK government said it had already awarded about 98% of the valid permits requested.
"We have licensed nearly 1,700 EU vessels overall; our approach to licensing has been reasonable and fully in line with our commitments in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement," UK officials said.
The UK government issued a statement on Thursday condemning the threats made by the French fishermen. Officials said they were "disappointed" by the planned protests, and they are now looking to the French government to ensure that there are no illegal actions during the planned event. UK officials said the French government has to ensure that trade between the two nations is not affected by the planned protest.
The planned demonstration is the latest flare-up in a long-running disagreement between the UK and France about the rights of French and British vessels to fish in each other's seas since Brexit.
