ABSTRACT
The spectre of uncertainty is particularly discernible in the airports of Copenhagen and Gibraltar, on the land border between Gibraltar and Spain, at the harbour in Ceuta and at the border crossing point at Tarajal II. In all these sites, it is impossible to know how many people pass the border ‘under the radar’. According to the media, the border at that point was manned by police officers, who are normally engaged only in document control, not by Guardia Civil officers. A surveillance camera inside the border crossing filmed everything, and soon after the incident, the border authorities released the video. Border spectacle, symbolics and doing away with uncertainty: On the heavily symbolic border between Gibraltar and Spain, the Spanish border authorities have installed 26 ABC eGates at tremendous cost. However, they are often out of order for days on end. Instead, a sign announces that the floor is wet and an open door lets travellers pass the border unhindered.
