Gibraltar’s 300 years of British rule

GIBRALTAR celebrated 300 years under British rule yesterday with fireworks and military pomp.

A motion unanimously passed in parliament pledged “to resist and oppose” any transfer of Gibraltar’s sovereignty to Spain.

The involvement of Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and the head of the Royal Navy in Gibraltar’s celebrations has irked Madrid, which accused Britain of clinging to its imperial past.

But Gibraltar was defiant as it marked the anniversary of the day in 1704 that British forces helped capture the land of just 6.5 square kilometres.

People dressed in the red and white colours of Gibraltar formed a human chain around the Rock in defence of what they see as their birthright. The organisers claim 17,000 of the population of 30,000 took part.