Brexit : Thousands take to streets in London against Brexit vote

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in London, in a second show of public anger this week over the county’s vote to leave the European Union.
Protesters, most of them young adults, gathered on Park Lane on Saturday and marched towards the Houses of Parliament, while holding banners with slogans such as "I'm with EU" or simply "Wrexit."
Many people were draped in EU flags, while many others chanted slogans like: “What do we want to do? Stay in the EU."
"We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button," said rally organizer, Keiran MacDermott.
"Let's not leave the next generation adrift... Let's march, let's protest, and let's stop Brexit,” he added.
A similar rally was organized earlier this week in Trafalgar Square, but was cancelled due to heavy rain. Tens of thousands of people turned up anyway to show their anger over the vote which left the country in an uncertain situation.
Last week, British people voted to leave the European Union by a margin of 52 to 48 percent. The narrow victory triggered anger in Britain among those who wanted to remain in the union and caused some people who voted for 'Leave' to feel regret.

People hold up pro-Europe placards and European flags as they rally through the center of London on July 2, 2016, to protest against Brexit vote. © AFP

Following the result of the referendum which came out on Friday, more than four million people signed a petition calling for a second referendum.
According to a new survey by the Opinium, at least seven percent (1.2 million), of the anti-EU voters say they would vote for 'Remain' if they get another chance, almost removing the margin that materialized Brexit.
The research which was released on Thursday also found that three percent of the 'Remain' voters were unhappy with their choice.
The post-Brexit anxiety, dubbed “Bregret,” emerged as the value of the pound tumbled and the markets crashed.
The Brexit result also caused political turmoil in the country where Prime Minster David Cameron announced his resignation hours after the vote and left exit negotiations to his successor, who is expected to be appointed before the Conservative Party conference in October.

After Brexit, “pins have been pulled out” of the UK’s traditional politics, leaving a “chaotic response” to the decision to leave EU, which is evident in the Saturday march in London, says a British award-winning author.
Thousands of Londoners took part at the so-called  “March for Europe” on Saturday, to censure the outcome of a referendum on June 23, in which the Out campaigners narrowly won.
The demonstrators were holding placards, reading, "Bremain" and "We Love EU" to show their opposition to Brexit, for which 51.9% opted while 48.1% supported remaining in the European Union.
According to English author Alan Gibbons, Britons’  “chaotic response” to Brexit was evident in the protest, seeing an amalgamation of sentiments related to austerity, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, and the youths’ right to seek opportunity.
“There was a backlash that erupted from working people against the European Union because they felt excluded. Some of that fed into the quite xenophobic mood; some of it mixed up with austerity,” said the award-winning author. “Now many young people who feel they themselves are excluded from opportunity…  have taken to the streets.”
“Many of these demonstrators are very confused,” he added, noting some of them had come out in favor the Labour Party leader, who has been under pressure to resign following the British exit.
“You’re seeing a very chaotic response to the departure from the EU mixed in with anti-austerity and anti-establishment feelings," he concluded.

Thousands of demonstrators marched in the streets of London to vent their frustration over Britain's decision to leave the European Union, as the divided country struggles to define a new path forward.
The outcome of the referendum has created chaos inside the top echelons of British politics, fractured relations with the 27 other nations in the EU and weakened the country's economy. Although the measure passed last month with a solid majority across most of England, voters in London overwhelmingly supported remaining within the decades-old alliance.
At the rally, several protesters said they wanted to ensure their voices are heard as the debate shifts to the terms of Britain's departure. The event was billed as a march for Europe, with more than 27,000 people signed up to attend on Facebook, although it was unclear how many actually attended.
Under mostly sunny skies and a few showers, protesters draped themselves in European flags and carried signs reading "We love EU" as they descended on Parliament Square.

"We have to accept it," said Brian Walters, 49, of the vote to Leave. "But we don't have to like it. We can't just go away."
A petition to hold a second referendum on a British exit - popularly known as Brexit - has garnered more than four million signatures, although such a move is generally considered a political long shot. At the rally, some demonstrators instead suggested holding a public vote over any future agreement with the EU.
"The British public needs a clear view of what the plan is," said Dan Oakey, 46.
"And not commit national suicide," added his 11-year-old son, Eduardo.Britain has yet to formally declare its intention to break with the EU, as outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron, who supported remaining, said that duty should be left to his successor.
The race to replace him has turned into a Shakespearean-style drama that is splintering the governing Conservative Party, while the Opposition Labour Party is grappling with a leadership crisis of its own - leaving the country without clear direction at a critical juncture in its history.
Speaking in Scotland, the Queen did not directly address the turmoil but emphasised the importance of staying "calm and collected".
She said: "One hallmark of leadership in such a fast-moving world is allowing sufficient room for quiet thinking and contemplation, which can enable deeper, cooler consideration of how challenges and opportunities can be best addressed."