Huelva fishermen set fire to tyres to barricade the bridge into Portugal

Guadiana river bridge road crossing into Portugal barricaded and set fire to by Huelva fishermen

A protest was staged this morning, Friday, March 25, by a group of around 50 fishermen in the Huelva province of Ayamonte. They barricaded the main A-49 road with tyres and set fire to them, at the point where it crosses the bridge over the Guadiana river, connecting Spain with Portugal.

As a result, traffic was cut for about one hour while the Guardia Civil intervened. Firefighters were mobilised to the location from the Provincial Fire Fighting Consortium to extinguish the blaze.

“It is difficult to understand attitudes like this that have been seen today, coercive or violent measures are not going to be allowed”, Manuela Parralo, the Andalucian Government’s deputy delegate told ABC. Adding, “They do a disservice to the fishing sector”.

It is not known if any arrests were made, but the Guardia Civil has reportedly identified a number of participants who are now under investigation. The corresponding disciplinary proceedings will be taken.

According to sources of ABC, the fishermen allegedly staged the protest to prevent Spanish people travelling across the bridge to buy fish in Portugal.

Although fishing has resumed in other parts of the country, fishermen in the Andalucian sector agreed to remain on strike until next Tuesday 29. This was confirmed by Mariano Garcia, the president of the Andalucian Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds (Facope). This action affects some 450 fishing boats in the province.

Manuel Fernandez Belmonte, the president of Facope condemned today’s action, saying he was ‘surprised’ by the incident, and that he only became aware of it via social media.

He stressed that he did not know who the perpetrators were, pointing out that it can be “something sporadic that does not belong to any specific port”, and that “everywhere there are small pockets of people who make their own decisions and carry out their own acts”.

Estallido de pescadores de Ayamonte en #Huelva: cortan con barricadas y quemas el puente a Portugal https://t.co/D8bJunmhDd pic.twitter.com/tvYUeQp9X0

— ABC de Sevilla (@abcdesevilla) March 25, 2022

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