copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2011-02-02): Located 300 kilometers from St Kilda, Scotland, the tiny uninhabited islet of Rockall is 29 meters high and measures just 31 by 25 meters. But despite its remoteness and inaccessibility, it is officially claimed by four European nations. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark (on behalf of the Faroe Islands), and Iceland all claim the rock because of the large amounts of oil and natural gas believed to be buried in the continental shelf, which could be worth as much as $160 billion U.S. dollars. [...] The rock was then largely forgotten until September 18, 1955, when it became the last territorial expansion of the British Empire. A Royal Navy helicopter lowered three men onto the islet, where the Union Flag was raised and a plaque attached to the rock. At the time, the British government was performing weapons testing and was worried that the Soviet Union would use the unclaimed rock to place surveillance equipment. On February 10, 1972, Rockall officially became administratively part of the Scottish Isle of Harris. [...] Rockall lies 301 kilometres (187 miles), or 162 nautical miles west of the uninhabited Scottish island of Soay. There are no scheduled services to Rockall and visitors must arrive by private boat or helicopter.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-11): Rockall: The adventurers who lived on a craggy outcrop Rockall - the small craggy mound poking out of the Atlantic - is currently the focus of a fight about who can legally fish around its ferocious seas. [...] "By seizing Rockall, Greenpeace claims these seas for the planet and all its peoples."
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-10-08): Rockall, and its surrounding waters, has been at the centre of a controversy over fishing laws. [...] Rockall is an eroded volcano lying approximately 187.2 miles west of Scotland and 263.0 miles northwest of Ireland. It is only 100 feet wide and 70 feet high above sea level. [...] Rockall is home to the multi-million pound Rockall Fishery, which has several species of fish, including squid, monkfish and haddock.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-08-19): Much later, in September 21, 1955, a Royal Navy helicopter landed on the tiny island and deposited there three soldiers and a scientist, who proceeded to hoist a Union Flag and set with cement plate whereby taking possession of the place on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 1972, The Island of Rockall Act was passed by parliament, formally declaring the island a part of the United Kingdom. But that claim has not been officially recognized by any other state. [...] In order to prove Rockall can sustain habitation, and therefore is a sovereign part of British territory, a former SAS soldier Tom McClean lived on the barren rock for a record 40 days in 1985. This feat of endurance was broken in 1997, when Greenpeace activists landed on the island and spent 42 days on it as a publicity stunt. They claimed Rockall as a micro-nation and renamed it Waveland. They even unscrewed the 1955 plaque and re-fixed it back-to-front.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-09): Several states have claimed interests over the sea bed adjoining Rockall, an uninhabitable granite islet which is located within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the United Kingdom. Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, and the United Kingdom have all made submissions to the commission set up under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [...] On 7 November 1988 the United Kingdom and Ireland agreed a delineation which ignores Rockall's existence and have granted exploration rights.[5][6] This bilateral agreement is disputed by Iceland and by Denmark.[4] [...] Rockall is within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claimed by the United Kingdom.[8][9][10] In 1997, the UK ratified[11] the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and thus relinquished any claim to an extension of its EEZ beyond the islet. The remaining issue is the status of the continental shelf rights of the surrounding ocean floor. These are the exclusive rights to exploit any resources on or under the ocean floor (oil, natural gas, etc.) and should not be confused with the EEZ, as continental shelf rights do not carry any privileges with regard to fisheries. Ownership of these rights in the Rockall area are disputed between the United Kingdom, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands), Ireland and Iceland.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-08): During the European Union (EU) membership of the United Kingdom, the main body of EU law did not apply and, although certain slices of EU law were applied to the overseas territories as part of the EU's Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT Association), they were not commonly enforceable in local courts. The OCT Association also provided overseas territories with structural funding for regeneration projects. Gibraltar was the only overseas territory that was part of the EU, although it was not part of the European Customs Union, the European Tax Policy, the European Statistics Zone or the Common Agriculture Policy. Gibraltar was not a member of the EU in its own right; it received representation in the European Parliament through its being part of the South West England constituency. Overseas citizens held concurrent European Union citizenship, giving them rights of free movement across all EU member states.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-20): Rockall is an uninhabitable granite islet situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom claims that Rockall lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by its neighbours. [...] In 1997, the environmentalist organisation Greenpeace occupied the islet for a short time, calling it Waveland, to protest against oil exploration. Greenpeace declared the island to be a "new Global State" (as a spoof micronation) and offered citizenship to anyone willing to take their pledge of allegiance. The British Government's response was to state that "Rockall is British territory. It is part of Scotland and anyone is free to go there and can stay as long as they please" and otherwise ignore them. During his one night on Rockall, Greenpeace protester and Guardian journalist John Vidal unscrewed the 1955 plaque and re-fixed it back-to-front.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-01-01): Rockall () is an uninhabitable granite islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom claims that Rockall lies within its territorial sea and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by Ireland. It and the nearby skerries of Hasselwood Rock and Helen's Reef are the only emergent parts of the Rockall Plateau. The rock was formed by magmatism as part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province during the Paleogene. [...] The United Kingdom claimed Rockall in 1955 and incorporated it as a part of Scotland in 1972. The UK does not make a claim to an extended exclusive economic zone (EEZ) based on Rockall, as it has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which says that "rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf". However, such features are entitled to a territorial sea extending 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres). Ireland's position is that Rockall does not even generate a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea for the United Kingdom owing to the UK's uncertain title to Rockall. Ireland does not recognise the UK's claim, although it has never sought to claim sovereignty of Rockall for itself. The consistent position of successive Irish governments has been that Rockall and similar rocks and skerries have no significance for establishing legal claims to mineral rights in the adjacent seabed or to fishing rights in the surrounding seas.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (1998-07-20): Rockall islet, Scotland, United Kingdom verifiedCite [...] Rockall, isolated granite rock in the North Atlantic Ocean 220 miles (354 km) west of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Rockall is about 100 yards (91 metres) in circumference and stands some 70 feet (21 metres) above sea level. It was formally annexed by the United Kingdom in 1955 and incorporated as part of Scotland in 1972. The uninhabited islet has since assumed economic importance as a basis for oil and fishing rights in its territorial waters.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-10): Rockall has been claimed by the British and is generally accepted to belong to the UK and, more specifically, Scotland. [...] "The UK’s claim to historical sovereignty over Rockall is a strong one," UCD professor Richard Collins told TheJournal.ie today. [...] We have never recognised UK sovereignty over Rockall and accordingly we have not recognised a territorial sea around it either.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-10): In 1972, the UK sought to formally take ownership of Rockall by passing the Island of Rockall Act. It claimed Rockall as part of Scotland, specifically part of Inverness. [...] As from the date of the passing of this Act, the Island of Rockall (of which possession was formally taken in the name of Her Majesty on 18 September 1955 in pursuance of a Royal Warrant dated 14 September 1955 addressed to the Captain of Her Majesty’s Ship Vidal) shall be incorporated into that part of the United Kingdom known as Scotland and shall form part of the District of Harris in the County of Inverness, and the law of Scotland shall apply accordingly. [...] For the moment though, the status of the Rockall remains that the UK claims is at part of its territory. While Ireland does not accept this claim, neither does it argue that Rockall is Irish.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-11): Rockall: The adventurers who lived on a craggy outcrop - Published Rockall - the small craggy mound poking out of the Atlantic - is currently the focus of a fight about who can legally fish around its ferocious seas. [...] "By seizing Rockall, Greenpeace claims these seas for the planet and all its peoples."
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-15): Rockall lies 260 miles (418km) west of Scotland's Western Isles. [...] The UK has long claimed ownership of Rockall, but its claim is not recognised by several neighbouring states. [...] The UK passed its Island Of Rockall Act, external in 1972, formally incorporating it into Scotland's Western Isles.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-02-06): The important section of the Act was this: "As from the date of the passing of this Act, the Island of Rockall (of which possession was formally taken in the name of Her Majesty on 18 September 1955 in pursuance of a Royal Warrant dated 14 September 1955 addressed to the Captain of Her Majesty’s Ship Vidal) shall be incorporated into that part of the United Kingdom known as Scotland and shall form part of the District of Harris in the County of Inverness and the Law of Scotland shall apply accordingly." [...] In terms of proximity there is little doubt that Rockall is Scottish. The nearest point of Scotland to Rockall is Soay in the St Kilda archipelago which is some 187 miles, 301km, to the east. The nearest point of Ireland, which now does not actually have a formal claim to Rockall but which argues that it cannot be used to determine territorial rights, is Tory Island, some 263 miles, 432km, to the south-east of Rockall. [...] Ten years later, Ireland was still arguing about Rockall, and the Westminster Parliament was still debating. Sir John Biggs-Davison asked Secretary of State for Scotland George Younger: "In view of renewed interest by certain politicians in the Irish Republic, will my right hon. Friend affirm, on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, that though it be uninhabited, and notwithstanding any negotiations on the law of the sea, Rockall is sovereign territory of the United Kingdom and will so remain?"
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-15): Rockall lies 260 miles (418km) west of Scotland's Western Isles. [...] The UK has long claimed ownership of Rockall, but its claim is not recognised by several neighbouring states. [...] The UK passed its Island Of Rockall Act in 1972, formally incorporating it into Scotland's Western Isles.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-10-29): The United Kingdom, of course, believes otherwise. It considers Rockall and the water around it to be British territory, and therefore exempt from the Common Fisheries Policy. It has continuously reinforced this claim through symbolic acts, including fixing various plaques by the Royal Navy on the outcrop proclaiming British sovereignty over it and legally incorporating the islet into Inverness-shire in 1972. Though this may not seem like much, a "symbolic act on a tiny, uninhabitable speck of land is very significant in terms of getting international ownership," explains Clive Symmons, a professor of maritime law at Trinity College Dublin. What is actually more unusual, Symmons says, is that though the United Kingdom maintains Rockall is its territory, it has given up using the islet to further its EEZ into the North Atlantic. Typically, a country’s EEZ is calculated to extend 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its claimed territory. In 1997, however, the United Kingdom unilaterally decided to pull back the starting point for this calculation from Rockall to St. Kilda, an archipelago around 180 kilometers off the Scottish mainland.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-31): It’s quite possible that someone in the government glanced at a report on Rockall, saw the word "land" and immediately envisioned a hammer and sickle fluttering above an island fortress festooned with radar dishes. Rockall was, in the words of geographer Fraser MacDonald, "sufficiently near to the range to be an embarrassment if it were acquired by some foreign power." [...] No! Being "land," Rockall was a threat to national security. It was obvious. We had to have it. Since 2016 when Brexit tossed the economic rulebook overboard, Rockall has become the focus of a very different and rather more bitter type of conflict:
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-09-17): 18th September 1955 Rockall was annexed by the British Crown when Lieutenant-Commander Desmond Scott RN, Sergeant Brian Peel RM, Corporal AA Fraser RM, and James Fisher (a civilian naturalist and former Royal Marine), were winched by a helicopter onto the island by a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Vidal (The annexation of Rockall was announced by the Admiralty on 21 September 1955. [...] Her orders stated: "On arrival at Rockall you will effect a landing and hoist the Union flag on whatever spot appears most suitable or practicable and you will then take possession of the island on our behalf." [...] BY AUTHORITY OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND, BY THE GRACE OF GOD OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND AND OF HER OTHER REALMS AND TERRITORIES, QUEEN, HEAD OF THE COMMONWEALTH, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, ETC. ETC. ETC. AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH HER MAJESTY'S INSTRUCTIONS DATED 14. 9. 55. A LANDING WAS EFFECTED ON THIS DAY UPON THE ISLAND OF ROCKALL FROM H.M.S. VIDAL. THE UNION FLAG WAS HOISTED AND POSSESSION OF THE ISLAND WAS TAKEN IN THE NAME OF HER MAJESTY.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-11-27): The most remote Scottish island is Rockall, which is around 300 km from Hirta (Hiort) in the St Kilda archipelago. [...] * Derived from OS Boundary-Line and subject to the coastline paradox ** The Rockall assessment area also includes the inshore area within the territorial sea. The territorial sea around Rockall is part of the "Scottish inshore region" under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, but is not defined as a Scottish Marine Region in the The Scottish Marine Regions Order 2015. # The coastline of Rockall is not mapped at a suitable scale
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-01-15): Lying-in the North East Atlantic, some 162 nautical miles from the island of Soay, in the St Kilda group, and 230 nautical miles North West from Donegal, Rockall does not even qualify as an island. Yet it is claimed by Scotland and the UK, and would be in Scottish waters, the Scottish Government argues, were Scotland to be independent and outside the UK. However, it is also the subject of international dispute, a dispute which has been raised at European Commission level and which has drawn competing views from a variety of experts in international and maritime law. While it is often said that the rock is claimed by the Republic of Ireland, this has been disputed by Leo Varadkar, the Taoiseach, speaking in 2019: ‘We don't have a claim on it. We don't accept any other sovereign claim on it’. Ownership of the rock is also disputed by Denmark – on behalf of the Faroes - and by Iceland. One very small rock, measuring just 70 feet high and 100 feet wide, is therefore central to a long-existing territorial dispute between at least four separate countries. Of course, that Rockall sits in waters that contain rich fishing grounds, and the potential for huge oil and gas resources, is the primary source of the interest in this single unforgiving and unliveable rock.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2009-03-31): On 31 March 2009, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured in respect of Hatton Rockall Area.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-06-26): Rockall is an island which covers about half the area of an ice-hockey rink, sitting 260 miles (418km) west of Scotland’s Western Isles. It was thrust into the headlines earlier this month when the Scottish Government warned that vessels from the Republic of Ireland could be boarded if they fish within 12 miles (19km) of the rock formation. The United Kingdom claims ownership over Rockall and the 12 nautical miles of ocean around it – and the Scottish government says it has always been unlawful for any non-British boats to fish within this radius. [...] Scottish industry experts have given their backing to the Scottish government’s position over Rockall, which was claimed by the UK in 1955 and incorporated into Scotland’s territory 17 years later.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-23): Under the law of the sea, offshore maritime features can be categorized into three groups namely islands, rocks, and low-tide elevations (LTEs). Both islands and rocks are high-tide features, which means they are visible at high tide. Furthermore, article 121 of the Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) establishes conditions to distinguish an island from a rock. Any natural high-tide feature at sea that is either (1) able to support permanent life of a community or (2) capable of providing economic materials independently from the mainland for such community will be legally considered as an island. China’s Hainan Island is a clear example of a legal island. On the other hand, a maritime feature that lacks both conditions in article 121 can only be regarded as a rock. The United Kingdom’s Rockall is the example of this category. In addition, while islands can generate all maritime zones including a territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf, rocks can only generate a 12nm territorial sea around them.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-23): The Hatton-Rockall Basin MPA is situated in a deep-water basin to the far west of Scotland. Water depth at the site is over 1 km and the muddy sediments present support a range of species adapted to life at this depth. [...] The Hatton-Rockall Basin MPA is situated in a deep-water basin to the far west of Scotland. The site is located between Hatton Bank to the west and Rockall Bank to the east and water depth at the site is over 1 km. The site is designated to protect unusual aggregations of deep-sea sponges, an OSPAR Threatened and/or Declining habitat. Two different types of deep-sea sponge aggregations are known to be present; aggregations dominated by encrusting sponges and bird’s nest sponge (Pheronema carpenteri) fields. The bird’s nest sponge fields within the site are the only known examples to occur in UK waters. The encrusting sponge aggregation is typified by encrusting grey sponges living on boulders and mud substrata. Both types of deep-sea sponge aggregations act as biodiversity hotspots, with a range of other species associated with them. For the bird’s nest sponge fields, these include ascidians, formaniferans, polychaetes and burrowing anemones, while the encrusting sponge aggregations include anemones, ascidians, crinoids and ophiuroids. The seabed in the area is littered with spicules, spiny remnants of dead sponges, that inhibit the establishment of burrowing animals but allow surface-dwelling species to thrive.
Claim: Rockall is a territory of United Kingdom (Rockall, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): It wasn’t until 18th September 1955 that an expedition team from HMS Vidal were helicoptered onto Rockall and fastened a plaque which read, "By Authority of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her Other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, Etc. Etc. Etc. And in accordance with Her Majesty’s instructions dated 14. 9. 55. A landing was effected on this day upon the island of Rockall from H.M.S. Vidal. The Union Flag was hoisted and possession of the island was taken in the name of Her Majesty. [Signed] R H Connell, Captain, H.M.S. Vidal, 18 September 1955". However, my favourite story was that Greenpeace once landed on the island and, using a purpose-built capsule, stayed there for a while. They had hoped that the Royal Navy would be sent to remove them from Rockall and they would gain a huge amount of publicity. However, they had not thought of the cunning tactics of then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. He discovered that the protesters were all British, and issued the decree that, "Rockall is a British territory.