South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Waves of protesters in London push for a new vote on Brexit
LONDON — Anti-Brexit protesters flooded into central London by the hundreds of thousands Saturday, demanding that Britain’s Conservative-led government hold a new referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.
The “People’s Vote March” converged on the U.K. Parliament, where the fate of Brexit will be decided in the coming weeks.
Marchers carried European Union flags and signs praising the long-standing ties between Britain and continental Europe. The protest drew people from across Britain who are determined to force Prime Minister Theresa May’s government to alter its march toward Brexit.
“Ikea Has Better Cabinets,” said one placard.
After a summit in Brussels, Britain’s Brexit Day was pushed back from March 29 until at least April 12, but it remains unclear whether Britain will leave then or at a later deadline of May 22 or if it will leave at all.
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, invited to help lead the march, called the crowd impressive and unified.
“There is a huge turnout of people here from all walks of life, of all ages and from all over the country,” he tweeted. “We are a Remain country now with 60 percent wanting to stop the Brexit mess.”
Police did not provide a crowd estimate.
Independent legislator Chuka Umunna and others supporting a second Brexit referendum estimated the crowd at 1 million.
More than 4 million people endorsed an electronic petition this week in favor of revoking Article 50, the act that formally triggered the Brexit process.
The march comes as May, who opposes a second referendum on Britain’s EU membership, is easing away from plans to hold a third vote on her troubled Brexit withdrawal plan, which has been rejected twice by Parliament.