Dog owners seek new Brexit ‘Wooferendum’
london — With tails wagging and raucous barking, hundreds of dogs and their owners rallied in London on Sunday to howl for a new people’s vote on Brexit, in what organisers dubbed a “wooferendum march”.
The gathering drew EU-flag waving politicians, actors and activists — all accompanied by their fourlegged friends and united in their opposition to Britain’s departure from the EU.
“In a campaign, use whatever you can that helps,” Alastair Campbell, a former Labour government spokesman, said alongside his fivemonth-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Skye.
“Today’s showing that this country just isn’t uniting around any vision for Brexit and it’s one way of fighting,” he said.
The dog parade — which attracted everything from Corgies and beagles to huskies and a giant Leonberger — took place two weeks
before a larger pro-referendum rally, set to be attended mostly by humans, planned for October 20.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled out a new Brexit referendum, saying it would betray the result of the 2016 vote and destroy trust in politicians.
But politicians from all parties have joined a growing movement for Britons to have the chance to say whether they have changed their minds.
“It’s nice to highlight a serious point in such a fun way — everybody loves dogs,” said German university lecturer Flora Renz, 30. She has lived in Britain for a decade and turned out with Billy, a three-year-old beagle draped in an EU flag.
“I hope people are going to see some sense. I don’t know if a second referendum is the best solution but anything’s better than what’s happening right now.” —