EUROCITIZENS ORGANISE PROTEST ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE UK GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT ITS OWN CITIZENS

One point of the long vigil  Photo: EuroCitizens

EuroCitizens held a 27 hour vigil to mark the second anniversary of the referendum on UK membership of the European Union. During the vigil, which lasted for 27 hours and coincided with the People’s Vote march in London, British citizens protested at the continued uncertainty for their livelihood, and at the fact that citizens’ rights are clearly not a priority for their government, following the agreement struck between the UK Government and the European Commission last March on the UK´s withdrawal from the European Union.
 
The vigil began with a speech by journalist and writer Giles Tremlett, who shared the despair that many British citizens feel: “Today we are gathered outside the British Embassy, but the sad truth is that many of us do not know whether it is practical for us to remain British citizens. If we apply for Spanish nationality, that means forcing people to renounce British nationality and if that happens, rather than allowing us to continue our lives as before, the UK government will have expelled us from our status as British citizens – and that would cast shame on them.”
 
Members of EuroCitizens delivered a letter for the British government to the Ambassador, which in his absence was received by Tim Hemmings, Deputy Head of Mission. Laura Clyde, a British freelance professional with two children, who handed the letter over, highlighted that “Two years after the referendum, many of our questions about our rights essential for our livelihood, are still unanswered. We are living in a state of anxious uncertainty about what will happen to us. Suddenly, the rights, freedoms, guarantees and privileges afforded to us by the UK’s membership of the EU, and upon which we have based our lives in another EU member state, are under threat: these rights may be taken away from us - without our consent - and with no clear picture of what they will be replaced with."
 
John Carrivick, VicePresident of EuroCitizens, concluded “Today is a sad day when we mourn not only the loss of rights and a way of life but also the inability of the British government to protect its own citizens and a European Union that could not keep faith with its own essence”. 

You can read John's speech in full here:

http://thediplomatinspain.com/en/brexit-crossroads-citizens-europe/ 

More photos:

The organisers

The night shift.

Canine support

Ready with the wreath

Laying the wreath