A Pickle on Parsley Island
In 2002, history, pride, and geopolitics collided over a tiny, uninhabited islet off the coast of Morocco. The result was the first invasion of Western Europe since World War Two.
When General Galtieri’s Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982, the UK’s decision to send its military halfway around the world to reclaim an archipelago with more penguins than people surprised some observers. But there's always the fear that if you give someone an inch of territory, they’ll take a mile, and countries often do strange things when their pride is hurt. The Falklands War is just one example of nations taking up arms over seemingly insignificant fragments of land, and the Falklands are far from the smallest to have played host to such petty conflicts.
Twenty years after the Falklands War, Spain faced a similar situation with one of its ‘Plazas de Soberanía,’ a group of islets dotted along the North African coast near the Strait of Gibraltar, within swimming distance of Morocco. None of these islets are inhabited. While Spain argues that they are of strategic value, for Morocco, they are a relic of Spain’s imperialist past in the region, hovering annoyingly around their coastline like rocky mosquitoes
In 2002, a dozen armed Moroccan border guards landed on one of these islets, Isla de Perejil, or ‘Parsley Island,’ hoisted the Moroccan flag, and set up camp. Although the islet was only the size of a couple of football pitches and the only Spaniards directly affected by the invasion were the lizards and insects that called the islet home, Morocco’s actions caused an uproar in Spain. Never mind that the force was limited to twelve men in a couple of fishing boats—this was the first invasion of Western Europe since the Second World War. Spanish radio stations were inundated with calls demanding the islet be retaken. "The King of Morocco has chosen the path of confrontation with one of the great European democracies, and this should have a serious cost for him,” thundered an editorial in El Mundo.
Spain’s presence in North Africa goes back hundreds of years. The two Spanish possessions most people know about—the coastal cities of Ceuta and Melilla—have been legally part of Spain since the 16th and 15th centuries, respectively, and the Plazas de Soberanía date back to around the same time. This situation stems from Spain’s decision to continue pushing into Africa after the Reconquista, when they expelled the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula and took full control of what is now Spain. Spain colonised more of Morocco in 1912 but lost this land when Morocco gained independence in 1956. However, Ceuta, Melilla, and the Plazas de Soberanía remained Spanish, much to Morocco’s annoyance, as they had been part of Spain for much longer. This led to the situation in 2002, when Spaniards found themselves beating the drums of war over an islet most had never heard of before.
The EU and NATO wrung their hands and condemned the incident as ‘regrettable,’ while Spain called it a ‘serious situation’ and demanded a return to the status quo. Morocco, on the other hand, claimed it was using the islet, which it viewed as Moroccan territory, to set up an observation post to help prevent drug smuggling and illegal immigration into Europe—a claim that few outside Morocco found convincing. King Mohammed VI of Morocco was celebrating his wedding that week, leading to speculation that the invasion was timed to coincide with it and give Moroccans extra reason to come out and party.
Spain issued an ultimatum to Morocco to leave the island or face the consequences. But as the days passed and the Moroccan coast guards were replaced by a group of six marines, it became clear Morocco intended to stay until they were forced to leave. Spain decided to take action.
On the morning of July 18th, five days after the Moroccans arrived, 28 Spanish commandos in three military helicopters landed on the islet. They were backed by two navy ships and F-18 and Mirage F-1 fighters from the air force in case things turned ugly. The Spanish soldiers, under orders not to fire unless fired upon, quickly overwhelmed the six Moroccans, who surrendered almost immediately. One hid behind a rock and brandished his rifle but was persuaded to give up before anyone was hurt. The six Moroccan prisoners of war were taken to Ceuta and handed over at the Moroccan border. The Moroccan flag was replaced with a Spanish one
Morocco has never explained why it acted as it did. However, King Mohammed VI has a reputation for making rash decisions in fits of temper—such as when he suddenly withdrew Morocco’s ambassador from Spain without explanation in 2001. Spain was left to guess his motivation. Few doubt that the decision to invade the islet was his. A few days after the operation, Spain and Morocco, with mediation from the USA, agreed to return to the pre-invasion status quo: the Spanish soldiers and flag were removed, the Moroccans promised not to return to the island, and its native lizards and insects were left in peace.
Here’s some Spanish TV archive footage of the invasion and reaction to it.
Here’s a Spanish article looking back at the story twenty years on.
Thanks for reading,
¡Hasta la próxima!