Protestors in London march to join EU again amid national turmoil
3 Min Read
The march comes in light of the competition between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson to replace Truss as PM, while the UK drowns even further in economic and cost-of-living crises.
-
Protestors in London to rejoining the EU (AA)
Central London witnessed thousands of protestors on Saturday in front of Parliament Square Garden calling for the UK to rejoin the EU, after the infamous Brexit show in 2020.
Supporters waved EU flags and placards with some stating: "Brexit was never going to work", "For lower bills #rejoin the EU" and "We voted romaine". The crowd also yelled “Tories out” and booed when speakers discussed the possibility of Johnson becoming PM again to replace Liz Truss.
One protestor, Nikki Ajibade, said: “We feel very strongly that the situation we’re in now, you can trace it back directly to 2016 referendum, which was supposedly an advisory referendum.
“It wasn’t a supermajority result, 52 and 48 is not something that you can just completely upturn and upend the whole country. Look six years on where we are. So we feel very strongly that we need to get a sensible government in place, general election now, because this lot are squabbling like rats in a sack.”
When asked about Boris Johnson potentially becoming PM again, Ajibade said: “If they’re thinking that Boris Johnson is the answer, they haven’t understood the question, come on this is just ridiculous. It’s an insult to the nation. It is an actual insult to the British people to even mention his name as a possible candidate."
She expressed that she is not concerned with Johnson coming back, because he "would be the last nail in the Tory coffin", as she described the UK's current situation as a "national disgrace" and "international laughing stock".
Read next: Sunak, Johnson convene to discuss competing in next PM replacement
Oliver Jackson, a 26-year-old warehouse worker, said that it was necessary for UK politicians to acknowledge those voting to join the EU: “We need to get our voice heard. And especially during all this chaos, we can’t let this be left out. Honestly, the best way to get the UK back on track is to rejoin, at the very least, the single market and then the EU," adding: “Brexit has been the slow death that has been bleeding the UK dry for years.”
Protestor Tony Harold said: "We’ve seen the damage and it’s all been downhill ever since it started. Personally, I have a second home in Spain, and I’ve been impacted directly... But I’ve seen the benefits of the EU, and free movement, both myself and other people around me. It allows you to come and go as you will and it enriches lives. It makes people better, it gives more of a life experience and it’s very sad to see that go.”
Joshua Allotey, an employee at a local authority, believed the UK would continue to suffer because of having left the EU, calling Brexit a "bad mistake". He relayed that "It’s already cost the UK a lot. And unless we go back, it will carry on costing us … It was driven by ideology and it’s not actually designed to help the UK. We’re better off inside the EU. In long term, we’re going to suffer because we’re not able to sell and buy from Europe, which is our biggest market.”
