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Hundreds of thousands of protesters have come down to central London to ask their last word on the terms of the Brexit deal as part of one of the biggest protests against the departure of the United States. ;European Union.
The organizers estimated the number of spectators to be at least 670,000, a much higher turnout than the protests against Donald Trump and the anti-coup march of 2011.
The People's Vote march was to begin at 12 o'clock, but the crowd gathered at Park Lane did not begin to move seriously until after 2 pm because of the large number of people.
The sun was shining as protesters whistled, shouted and danced towards Parliament Square.
Earlier in the morning, a group of about 400 people, British expatriates living in Europe, some of whom had come from Italy and France, and EU citizens residing in the United Kingdom gathered in Hyde Park to request the right to vote in advance. final referendum. The group is united under the group of five million, which refers to the number of EU citizens in Britain and UK citizens residing in the EU.
Kalba Meadows, coordinator of Rester en France ensemble and member of the steering committee of British in Europe, went to the French Pyrenees to join the march. "I am here for two reasons: I am here to show how strong we are as a group and to celebrate all that we have achieved together over the past two years," she said.
"I am here because we were excluded from the referendum. I am here to demand that people most affected by Brexit really have a say in what is happening. "
Axel Antoni, 44, spokesman for the3million campaign group, said: "This is a very specific request: we want a last word for everyone. The United Kingdom is our home. We are part of it. The European citizens did not even vote last time, we had no voice last time. "
Elena Remigi, founder of the In Limbo project, spoke of the "turmoil" felt by European citizens in Britain and Britain residing in the EU since the vote on Brexit. "We have been used as an exchange currency and we now risk becoming collateral damage," Remigi said.
Protesters arrived on buses full of people from all parts of the country. Louise Penn, who came from Norfolk, was delighted that so many people came. "We have immobilized London and it is a message in itself," she said. "I do it partly for myself, but for my children and their children. This is for the country's future. "
Peter De Clercq, 39, came on the same bus as Penn. He said that in the last vote, there was only one bus from Norfolk, but this morning, six buses filled with protesters were heading for London. De Clercq, who is from Belgium, said that after living in the UK for 18 years, he suddenly felt he had lost his rights. "I can not vote. I have not voted yet and we all deserve it, "he said. "I do it for all European citizens, including the British."
Peter Andrews, who was among the 500 people who traveled to London with the Bath for Europe group, said: "I think leaving Europe is the most stupid idea I've ever seen . It will ruin the future of my children and my future. "
Andrews, who was distributing fake bank notes with the face of Jacob Rees-Mogg, added that "Britain is run by fanatics of the far right." The group issued several notes, including a 350 million pound note. Rees-Mogg's face was chosen to be stuck on a 50 guinea note because he was trying to "bring us back in time," said Andrews.
At the head of the march, twenty-year-old Robyn Heston, among a group of young people with a People's Vote banner, expressed her frustration at not being able to vote in the five-day referendum. She said, "I think our generation did not have a say. We have not had the chance and it is our future. "
Although Brexit highlighted a deep gap between the youngest and oldest generations, protesters ranged from university students to grandparents. Muswell Hill's Diana Luck carried a sign saying "Angry Grandmother". "I am very angry at events like Brexit and Trump and very worried about the future of my children and grandchildren," she said. "I think this is true for us all angry grandmas."
Derick, 35, lives in London, wielding a rainbow flag and marching with a group of LGBT people. "It's pretty terrifying and I'm transgender and basically most of my rights as a person come from the EU. If we leave the EU, I am likely to not become a person. "
Matthew Cooke, 28, from Scunthorpe with the Modern Union for a Changing World, described the prospect of a Brexit without agreement as "terrifying".
"Brexit in its form is not good for jobs, nor for workers' rights, nor for public finances," he said. "It would be careless not to be here not to offer a better future for everyone." workers.
Addressing the crowd on Parliament Square earlier, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vince Cable said it was "a tragedy of this country divided by generation".
He said it was the majority of his generation who had voted for the departure, thus depriving young voters of their freedom. "There is no better deal than the one we have now. It's better for Britain and better for Europe, "he said.
Labor MP Chuka Umunna criticized the Brexiters for "trying to dirty us as a liberal metropolitan elite, when nothing could be further from the truth".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Conservative MP Anna Soubry and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas were among the politicians who spoke in front of the crowd at Parliament Square. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, addressed the crowd via video link. She reaffirmed her party's support for the people's vote, which includes the possibility of staying in the EU.
She said: "The abandonment campaign has already entered history as one of the most hypocritical, dishonorable and quite dishonest electoral struggles of modern times. The managers should be totally ashamed of themselves.
The crowd began to disperse from 16h. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said they were not aware of any major disturbances or arrests.
