"The Doves" ( es, "Los Palomos") was the
pseudonym under which a group of six
Gibraltarian
The Gibraltarians (Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterran ...
lawyers and businessmen published a letter on 15 March 1968 in the ''
Gibraltar Chronicle'' advocating a political settlement with
Spain to solve the
disputed status of Gibraltar.
Among the six members of the group were
Joseph Triay
Joseph (J.E.) Emmanuel Triay QC (5 October 1931 – 3 July 2012) was a Gibraltarian lawyer and politician, best known for having been one of the promoters of the ''Doves'' in the 1960s.
Joseph Triay's daughter Cristina is married to Peter C ...
,
Juan Triay and
José Lázaro Coll.
Proposals
The following day, the members of the
Legislative Council challenged "The Doves" to produce specific proposals. A further letter was published on 4 April setting out proposals claimed to be acceptable for
Spain:
* Recognition of the Gibraltarians as the legitimate inhabitants of
Gibraltar
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, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
.
* The interests of the
United Kingdom in Gibraltar (either relating to defence or other issues) would be negotiated between the United Kingdom and Spain in order not to constitute an obstacle to a negotiated solution to the
Anglo-Spanish conflict.
* Granting Gibraltar a
constitution giving it complete and total
autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
.
* Raising the
Spanish and
Gibraltar flags alongside the
Union flag.
Public reaction
It was also made public that they had met with Spain's Foreign Affairs officials (a meeting was even held with the
Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister,
Fernando Castiella in March
) to try to bring this about. However, this provoked widespread public hostility in Gibraltar towards ''The Doves''. On 6 April an estimated crowd of around 1,000 people rioted and attacked their properties and homes. Rioting only finished in the afternoon, when
Governor Sir Gerald Lathbury called for troops to support the
Gibraltar Police, who had lost control by then. Twenty-two police officers were injured, but none were seriously hurt. Besides, the
British Foreign Office and
Police pried into the bank accounts of both Joseph and Juan Triay in
London, Gibraltar and
Madrid.
The term is often used
derogatorily nowadays to refer to individuals whose ideals are comparable to those of ''The Doves''.
References
{{Authority control
History of Gibraltar
1968 in Gibraltar
Politics of Gibraltar
1968 in politics