"We cannot pull up the drawbridge to Europe," organizers said. (Photo: Paul Hackett/Reuters)
Jul 02, 2016
Tens of thousands rallied in the streets of London on Saturday, protesting last week's Brexit referendum results and seeking a unified way forward in a colorful March for Europe.
"Today we joined thousands of people backing 'March for Europe' and we called for the country to come together in a positive democratic discussion over the new partnership with Europe," organizers said in a statement.
"We condemn the misinformation over Brexit and believe we need a properly informed debate on the way forward," they continued. "We cannot pull up the drawbridge to Europe and call on our politicians to set out a clear route map for this partnership. Politicians must be prepared to put to the British people their prospectus for the new way forward through a general election or second referendum."
By a margin of 52-48 percent, the UK voted on July 23 to leave the European Union. Many have charged that the campaign was marred by violence, misinformation, and xenophobia.
"I'm here because I feel totally disenfranchised, hoodwinked and browbeaten into this political, financial and social suicide," Sussex business consultant Mark Riminton told the Guardian, "and the only thing I can think of to do is go on a march."
That sentiment was apparently shared by the estimated 30,000 who attended the march.
"I'm absolutely outraged at the way people voted, the lies the referendum was based on and the divide in the country because of it," 40-year-old Philippa Griffin, from Hertfordshire, told the Huffington Post UK. "My ideal outcome from this march is that MPs realise that leaving the EU is not what people truly want. It feels like our country has already changed."
Reports of hate speech and complaints of racial abuse have risen in the wake of the vote, according to the UK's National Police Chiefs Council.
\u201cThe #Brexit politicians admitted their lies within hours of result. They cheated us of our democracy #marchforeurope\u201d— The NHA Party (@The NHA Party) 1467482654
Reuters reported that "the marchers were nearly all young adults, and many were draped in EU flags while others waved banners bearing slogans such as 'I'm with EU' or simply 'Wrexit'."
Young people overwhelmingly voted to Remain.
Baguette not #Brexit at #marchforeurope now happening in London heading to Parliament pic.twitter.com/fbdk9paePc
-- Ellie Geranmayeh (@EllieGeranmayeh) July 2, 2016
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Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Tens of thousands rallied in the streets of London on Saturday, protesting last week's Brexit referendum results and seeking a unified way forward in a colorful March for Europe.
"Today we joined thousands of people backing 'March for Europe' and we called for the country to come together in a positive democratic discussion over the new partnership with Europe," organizers said in a statement.
"We condemn the misinformation over Brexit and believe we need a properly informed debate on the way forward," they continued. "We cannot pull up the drawbridge to Europe and call on our politicians to set out a clear route map for this partnership. Politicians must be prepared to put to the British people their prospectus for the new way forward through a general election or second referendum."
By a margin of 52-48 percent, the UK voted on July 23 to leave the European Union. Many have charged that the campaign was marred by violence, misinformation, and xenophobia.
"I'm here because I feel totally disenfranchised, hoodwinked and browbeaten into this political, financial and social suicide," Sussex business consultant Mark Riminton told the Guardian, "and the only thing I can think of to do is go on a march."
That sentiment was apparently shared by the estimated 30,000 who attended the march.
"I'm absolutely outraged at the way people voted, the lies the referendum was based on and the divide in the country because of it," 40-year-old Philippa Griffin, from Hertfordshire, told the Huffington Post UK. "My ideal outcome from this march is that MPs realise that leaving the EU is not what people truly want. It feels like our country has already changed."
Reports of hate speech and complaints of racial abuse have risen in the wake of the vote, according to the UK's National Police Chiefs Council.
\u201cThe #Brexit politicians admitted their lies within hours of result. They cheated us of our democracy #marchforeurope\u201d— The NHA Party (@The NHA Party) 1467482654
Reuters reported that "the marchers were nearly all young adults, and many were draped in EU flags while others waved banners bearing slogans such as 'I'm with EU' or simply 'Wrexit'."
Young people overwhelmingly voted to Remain.
Baguette not #Brexit at #marchforeurope now happening in London heading to Parliament pic.twitter.com/fbdk9paePc
-- Ellie Geranmayeh (@EllieGeranmayeh) July 2, 2016
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Tens of thousands rallied in the streets of London on Saturday, protesting last week's Brexit referendum results and seeking a unified way forward in a colorful March for Europe.
"Today we joined thousands of people backing 'March for Europe' and we called for the country to come together in a positive democratic discussion over the new partnership with Europe," organizers said in a statement.
"We condemn the misinformation over Brexit and believe we need a properly informed debate on the way forward," they continued. "We cannot pull up the drawbridge to Europe and call on our politicians to set out a clear route map for this partnership. Politicians must be prepared to put to the British people their prospectus for the new way forward through a general election or second referendum."
By a margin of 52-48 percent, the UK voted on July 23 to leave the European Union. Many have charged that the campaign was marred by violence, misinformation, and xenophobia.
"I'm here because I feel totally disenfranchised, hoodwinked and browbeaten into this political, financial and social suicide," Sussex business consultant Mark Riminton told the Guardian, "and the only thing I can think of to do is go on a march."
That sentiment was apparently shared by the estimated 30,000 who attended the march.
"I'm absolutely outraged at the way people voted, the lies the referendum was based on and the divide in the country because of it," 40-year-old Philippa Griffin, from Hertfordshire, told the Huffington Post UK. "My ideal outcome from this march is that MPs realise that leaving the EU is not what people truly want. It feels like our country has already changed."
Reports of hate speech and complaints of racial abuse have risen in the wake of the vote, according to the UK's National Police Chiefs Council.
\u201cThe #Brexit politicians admitted their lies within hours of result. They cheated us of our democracy #marchforeurope\u201d— The NHA Party (@The NHA Party) 1467482654
Reuters reported that "the marchers were nearly all young adults, and many were draped in EU flags while others waved banners bearing slogans such as 'I'm with EU' or simply 'Wrexit'."
Young people overwhelmingly voted to Remain.
Baguette not #Brexit at #marchforeurope now happening in London heading to Parliament pic.twitter.com/fbdk9paePc
-- Ellie Geranmayeh (@EllieGeranmayeh) July 2, 2016
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