The National Day message from Leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Chief Minister of Gibraltar Dr Joseph Garcia:

This National Day 2020 has been like no other before it. Sadly, Gibraltar has had to move away from celebration in crowds of thousands of people to marking the event in much smaller groups.

The political rally, the annual fair, the fancy dress competition, the firework display and the boat procession are some of the events which have been sorely missed. They had become essential components of everything that National Day means today.

In our unique Gibraltarian way, every year we have blended together a nationwide celebration of fun and family with a serious political message. That message remains centred on the assertion of the right to self-determination, to decolonisation and to removal from the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories.

It is important to remember that for decades thousands of Gibraltarians have demonstrated in our national colours to demand precisely that political emancipation. This is not just the legal principle of the right to self-determination but the recognition of the exercise of that right under the Charter of the United Nations. In other words, that the future of Gibraltar can only be freely and democratically determined by the people of Gibraltar.

There can be no other way.

The people of Gibraltar have come a long way. We are the descendants of the merchants and traders who settled this Rock more than three hundred years ago and of others who came later to contribute to the enrichment of the multicultural, modern nation that we have become today. That distinct identity has evolved under the British Crown and is closely and inseparably linked to the United Kingdom, to the Commonwealth family and to everything that this represents.

That is who we are.

Our departure from the European Union cannot and will not change that.

This year, our commitment to self-determination is just as strong even though our celebrations have, of necessity, been considerably more muted. Those changes have been thrust upon us by a global pandemic that has claimed nearly one million lives across the planet already. There are people going into hospital, others into intensive care and others passing away every single day all over Europe- some just across the border.

When faced with this potential risk to human life, any Government would have done the same this National Day. There is a particular need to protect the elderly and those who are vulnerable. When families gathered today, I was pleased to see that in many cases this has been a prime consideration. There were lunches organised outdoors, with people keeping their distance from elderly relatives, with face masks where needed and with sanitising gel to hand.

That is the new normal of everyday life.

But Gibraltarians stand up in the face of adversity. This year we left the European Union in January. We were then plunged into the throngs of a global pandemic in March. In our long and turbulent history we have faced every challenge and emerged stronger from the other side. Our shared experiences have made us who we are as a people.

So the message this National Day is that we remain firm and united because, despite our small size, such unity will make us unstoppable.