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French fishing boats arrive in Jersey amid post-Brexit fishing rights row

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent 2 Royal Navy ships last night as a pre-emptive measure

Karim El-Bar  | 06.05.2021 - Update : 07.05.2021
French fishing boats arrive in Jersey amid post-Brexit fishing rights row

LONDON

French fishing boats arrived in Jersey on Thursday morning after threatening to blockade the Channel Island’s main port following a row over post-Brexit fishing rights.

Last night, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent two Royal Navy ships to Jersey as a pre-emptive measure.


The French ships have been arriving at the harbor of St Helier since the small hours of this morning, and more are on their way. Some French crew have set off flares, but so far the protest has remained peaceful. Local Jersey residents have even turned up to watch unfolding events.​​​​​​​


On Wednesday, France threated to cut off electricity to the island.

It also made a threat to blockade the main port of St Helier to prevent supplies entering the island, and also threatened to close French offices on the Channel Islands to stop Jersey products from being imported into France.

The dramatic escalation in tensions came after the UK introduced new conditions in a fishing agreement over access to its waters.

France believes these new rules will restrict their fishing rights around Jersey, and that this breaches the Brexit agreement.


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