Thousands march against looming Brexit

TENS of thousands of pro-European Union protesters took to London’s streets on Saturday, in defiance of the terror threat, to mark the bloc’s 60th anniversary just days before Brexit begins.

Organisers said about 80 000 people joined the march calling for Britain to stay in the EU, even as Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to start the withdrawal process on Wednesday.

A sea of blue EU flags stretched down Piccadilly and past Trafalgar Square, interspersed by signs saying “I am European” and “I’m 15 – I want my future back!” The crowd fell silent as it filed into Parliament Square, the scene of terror this week when a homegrown killer drove a car through crowds of people.

“Terrorism won’t divide us – Brexit will,” read one banner, while another read: “Stop sleepwalking, stop this madness.”

Police said an appropriate policing plan was in place. The anniversary of the EU’s founding treaty was marked by a special summit in Rome, where at least 10 000 people also marched in support of the bloc.

About 4 000 people also gathered in Berlin, organisers said, holding up banners saying “More Europe” and the “EU is not dead”, reflecting fears that Brexit may cause irreparable harm to the 27-nation bloc.

An organiser said: “[Last year] was a terrible year for Europe and the world; we are going to make 2017 a year of hope, the year that people stand up and say ‘this is our Europe’.”

Britons voted by 52% to end their four-decade membership of the EU in the June 23 referendum, but 48% voted to stay.

On Wednesday, the prime minister will trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, starting a two-year countdown to Britain’s exit. — AFP