Border Communities Against Brexit launch
LOBBY GROUP LAUNCH POSTER CAMPAIGN
At almost exactly twenty years since the historic Good Friday Agreement was signed, local lobby group Border Communities Against Brexit (BCAB) launched a new campaign against the return of any post Brexit border.
The group, which was founded by people living and working on both sides of the border launched the new high profile poster campaign along the old Newry to Dundalk Road last week.
Spokesman Declan Fearon explained the importance of ongoing protests against any potential border., telling crowds gathered at the event:
‘ The ceasefire, and the peace talks which culminated in the Good Friday Agreement brought about enormous transformational change in the border communities of Ireland.
The withdrawal of the British army, with their hill top watch towers, their barb wire and all of their paraphernalia of war, opened up the towns and villages along the border to benefit socially and economically.’
He added that one of the major economic benefits was the billions of euro in financial aid that the North and Southern border counties received from the European Union.
‘ This economic prosperity cemented the peace by creating badly needed jobs and putting programmes in place to allow communities to reach across the religious divide.’
‘However one of the most significant aspects of the GFA was allowing citizens to be Irish, British or both. It removed the thorny issue of Identity. Those who wished to be British could do so, while those who wished to be Irish could be as well,’ said the BCAB spokesman, who also operates a business in the cross border area.
‘Brexit and the Brexiteer’s have brought about the ugly issue of identity politics again.’
‘ The island due to both jurisdictions belonging to the Customs Union and Single Market meant that the border in Ireland became a line on a map, people could travel, trade, work and socialise where ever they want.’
He added: ‘Brexit is an attack on every aspect of the Good Friday Agreement.
But starkly its an attack on the freedom of people to travel, trade, work and socialise across this border’.
‘Let us be very very clear. The current talks aimed at getting a solution to a frictionless border are not going to work.
Trusted trader, is for the big companies, the one’s who can afford extra staff to process additional paper work, the small companies and sole traders will spend 4-5 hours in customs clearance queue’s, pre-registration of vehicles cannot examine the contents of that vehicle.
This will be sold by more snake oil salesmen from the Brexit camp as a Soft Border. There is no such thing as a soft border.’
A soft border is a hard border by stealth,’ said Declan
He added: ‘ The EU will not accept infringements, they will not accept illegal products such an inferior food being brought into their union across this border and rightly so.’
‘So weeks or months after a Soft border is agreed, we will all wake up to a Hard border, with similar infrastructure such as border roads closed and customs towers on our main roads, those of us old enough know what that means.’
He said that the Border COmmunities Against Brexit group had argued that he Irish Government ‘ made a significant tactical mistake at the recent EU Council meeting to allow the British Government move to trade talks without a firm deal on the Irish Border.’
‘So we call on all politicians to continue to lobby against Brexit, to insist that the North remain with the Single Market and Customs Union, and in particular the Irish Government must stand firm and be prepared to veto any deal which does Not deliver this.
The back stop agreed in December between Britain and the EU is the very least we will accept,’