Don Pacifico
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Don Pacifico became famous in 1850 as the trigger of a notorious international incident. Pacifico was a Portuguese Jew who had been born in Gibraltar, a British possession. He was therefore technically a British subject.
He lived and worked in Greece for a period of time. In 1847 his business was attacked and vandalised. He appealed to the Greek government for compensation for his injury but when it was not forthcoming he appealed in 1848 to the British government.
Lord Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary took unilateral action in support of Pacifico. He sent the Royal Navy to blockade Greek ports and harass Greek shipping. The blockade lasted 2 months, and caused great tensions with France and Russia. The affair ended only when the Greek government agreed to compensate Pacifico, after Greek ships were seized by the Royal Navy.
Palmerston received a great deal of criticism from both foreign powers and domestic politicians but defended his actions before the House of Commons, comparing the British Empire to the Roman. "As the Roman, in days of old, held himself free from indignity, when he could say, Civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen], so also a British subject, in whatever land he may be, shall feel confident that the watchful eye and the strong arm of England will protect him from injustice and wrong."fr:Don Pacifico he:דוד פסיפיקו