“I’m on this march because I’m a patriot, and patriots wish the best for their country,” Helen, a member of EUnity Lewes, Sussex.
Last Saturday 20 June, thousands of people gathered in central London, braving the blistering heat, to march in support of rejoining the European Union and to mark the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote. Sussex Bylines joined them to gather their views, as one marcher put it, on “the disaster that was Brexit”, ten years on.
Spirits were high in spite of the fact that many there had turned out to march in support of rejoining the EU every year since the UK left. But this year was a little different. There was a much stronger sense of optimism, of a growing belief that the prospect might not be that far distant, however slowly and cautiously the Labour government is inching towards it.
Another striking indication was the change in the public mood. Not one insult hurled at the marchers, not one V-sign. Just lots of waves, thumbs up and hoots from passing motorists, and cyclists shouting their support as they flew past.
The reasons that marchers gave for their support of the event were many and varied, but all had some key themes in common. The loss of rights, of freedom of movement, and the blight that Brexit had cast over the future of younger generations.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a European and whether we like it or not we are part of the continent of Europe. I’ve got a lot of friends all over Europe and I want to go and visit them with as little trouble as possible and for them to visit me.
“Generations of British people took the freedom to work and study and start a family anywhere in Europe for granted before Brexit and I’m not willing to sit back and accept that millions of ordinary decent people have been cheated out of that right by self-serving politicians.
“We have to remember that back in 1975 Eurosceptics lost that vote, but they had the democratic freedom to go on campaigning for what they wanted and now we have that right too. That’s democracy,” said Alan from Sheffield.
“We think that it’s extremely important that Wales should have international relations and we’re more independent-minded now with our new Welsh government, but we realise that independence means nothing without the advantage of being in a wider community,” said Charles Smith from Wales for Europe (and, coincidentally, a self-described “trainee editor” for Bylines Cymru).
”We want to keep showing solidarity with the movement. We still think that Brexit was a stupid idea and that rejoining is the right thing to do for many, many reasons. Marching is an easy way to join in and show our support for the rejoin movement. We’ve a young son and he has Italian citizenship as well but we’d like him to experience properly what it’s like to be part of the EU,” said Chris from Swindon.
“The majority of us in Bremain in Spain are British immigrants living in Spain and above all we understand the wonderful opportunities and benefits that being in the EU gave us. Many of us wouldn’t have been able to move to Spain without freedom of movement. I went there as a single mum with two teenage kids and now pensioners for example can’t retire to Spain because their pension doesn’t meet the minimum threshold of 29,000 euros a year. Brexit has weakened Britain and was such a win for Putin. We love our country, and it’s just so sad to see it losing its status in the world and its status in Europe.
“Sue, our chair, took Theresa May to court over the Brexit referendum, so as a group we’ve always had quite a high profile because of that – and we’re the only UK European Movement group outside the UK, so we always show up to these marches. We’ve never missed one in ten years,” Lisa, from Bremain in Spain told us.
Madeleina Kay, political activist, writer, musician, from Sheffield, said: “I’m here on the Rejoin March today because I think that it’s important that we march ten years after the referendum and mark the fact that Brexit hasn’t worked out. We are all feeling the huge negative consequences of Brexit – in the economy, in the loss of freedoms and rights and just in the massive stupid queues in the airport when we go on holiday. We have NOT felt any of benefits of Brexit because frankly there aren’t any.
“I think that it’s really important that we are here today to make this statement and to say that the future IS Europe and for the sake of our young people and especially those who didn’t get a say in the referendum that we restore opportunities to them to work and study in other countries and to give them some hope, because at the moment things are very bleak for young people in the UK and they deserve to have some hope back in their lives.”
And I’ll let John from Seaford in Sussex have the last word: “I’m marching because I want to stiffen Andy Burnham’s resolve to get us back in the EU if he becomes Prime Minister.”
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