Hundreds of thousands march in London to "vote" on Brexit

LONDON – Hundreds of thousands of protesters opposed the imminent exit of Britain from the European Union marched Saturday in central London to demand a new referendum and decide on the government's final agreement on the Brexit with the EU. Young voters led the People's Vote march on London's Parliament Square, which supporters say would have attracted about 700,000 protesters, BBC News reported. The metropolitan police said they were not able to estimate the size of the crowd.

The organizers say that another public vote is needed as new facts have been revealed about the costs and complexity of the British bloc's exit since voters chose to leave in 2016.

About 150 bus demonstrators flock to the British capital across the country. The police did not provide estimates of attendance.

"What is clear is that the only options currently on the table of the Prime Minister are a bad agreement on Brexit, or even no agreement," BBC Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC. Is attached to the march. "It's a million miles from what was promised two and a half years ago."

Khan said the Saturday demonstration was a "walk for the future" for young Britons, including those who were too young to vote in the 2016 British Brexit referendum, when those who favored the exit of the EU won a tight victory of 52%.

The march was also supported by several MPs who want a new vote.

The mayor of the opposition Labor party had already backed calls for more and more pressing for a new referendum so that the public could decide on the acceptance of the Prime Minister Theresa May's agreement on the Brexit or on the choice to stay in the EU.

May, the leader of the British Conservatives, has ruled out another public vote on the subject.

This did not stop Saturday crowds from demanding one. Among them was Andy Serkis, actor of the "Lord of the Rings", who walked with his son and his wife. Serkis said that he thought there should be a second referendum "now that people are better informed".

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but divorce talks have been tainted by disagreements, particularly over the future border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This will be the UK's only land border with the EU after Brexit, Ireland being part of the EU and Northern Ireland being part of the UK.

One of the great achievements of the 1998 peace agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland was to dismantle the police and military presence on the border with Ireland. Many on both sides no longer want a "hard" border.

There is also growing fear of a British exit "without agreement", which could create chaos at the borders and in the European and British economies.

At an inconclusive European summit in Brussels this week, May said she would consider extending the proposed 21-month transition period for the UK after Brexit – a period that would allow the Great Britain to remain aligned with the EU rules for more than two years after leaving March.

The EU said that an extension of this period would give more time to conclude a trade agreement guaranteeing that the Irish border remains free of friction. British politicians who favored Brexit, however, saw an attempt to tie the country indefinitely to the bloc.

"The chaos and confusion this week over the Brexit negotiations have shown how even the best deal currently available would be bad for Britain," said Andrew Adonis, a Labor member of the House of Lords. "Voters will not forgive nor forget if (lawmakers) allow this miserable Brexit to continue without people having the last word."