Thousands of Brexit protesters flood the streets of London calling for new referendum
As the tire fire that is Theresa May's handling of Brexit continues to burn, a crowd pegged at around a million people flooded the streets of London on Saturday, protesting the disastrous policy and calling on a new referendum.
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While the option of a second referendum on Brexit was once seen as highly unlikely, there's now a semblance of hope for those backing the vote. Prime Minister May has bungled the process and is faced with a variety of dubious options, including a yet-again delayed exit or even a no-deal Brexit that would have serious ramifications.
Dubbed "Put It To The People," Saturday's march saw around a million people participate, organizers said. The event also included a rally in front of Parliament. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was among those marching and he was scheduled to speak at the post-march rally.
And we're off! 🙌
Here in London, thousands of people from across our city and country have come together with @peoplesvote_uk to send a clear message:
Enough is enough - it's time to give the British public the final say on Brexit. #PeoplesVote 🇪🇺#PutItToThePeople 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/wJzXF4UB6N— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 23, 2019
The swarm of people in London was in direct contrast to the much smaller "March to Leave," a two-week trek of pro-leave protesters led by Nigel Farage, walking from Sunderland with the aim of arriving in London on Friday, March 29, the originally planned Brexit date.
Compare and contrast #PutitothePeopleMarch pic.twitter.com/spc9sRNrxn
— Steve Lapsley (@stevelapsl) March 23, 2019
In London, though, the streets were flooded with protesters holding quippy signs and marching in costume, all part of the growing movement to demand a new vote over leaving the EU.
Unicorn makes an entrance#PutitothePeopleMarch
@sloumarsh pic.twitter.com/8dzJtPA8yi— Paul Johnson (@paul__johnson) March 23, 2019
Image: Getty Images
Image: Getty Images
The movement to remain in the EU got a big boost in visibility earlier in the week when an online petition calling for revoking Article 50, the law that outlines how countries can exit the EU, gained so many signatures (now at 4.4 million) that it crashed the government's petition website.
Image: Getty Images
Image: Getty Images
To say the Brexit process has been a disaster is putting it mildly, as can be seen by the fact that Prime Minister May is the target of both aforementioned protests that take opposing sides. It's reflective of the infighting that's taken place in Parliament, leaving that body of government in a deadlock with no plan in place for an exit.
Despite Saturday's enormous protest, odds of a second referendum are still long thanks to the hurdles that need to be cleared — including approval from that deadlocked Parliament, a decision on what, exactly, the referendum would be a vote on, and negotiating a timetable on the vote.
Image: Getty Images
Image: Getty Images
For now, it's a wait-and-see situation for everyone. The EU has given May until April 12 to get a deal passed by Parliament.
Image: Getty Images
Failure to get a deal done will mean either a no-deal Brexit or May will have to propose yet another alternative before that deadline. And, with that, yet another journey into the unknown for the UK.
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