Crowds protest Brexit outside UK Parliament
29 Jun 2016
A huge demonstration calling for the UK to remain in the EU was held outside the Houses of Parliament today, despite the official cancellation of the rally.
Demonstrators shouted "Down with Boris" and "F*** Farage" protesting against the two leading figures in the Brexit movement, senior Tory Boris Johnson and Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
The planned events were supposed to attract thousands of people in cities across the UK as dissatisfaction with the decision to leave the EU increased.
However, organisers had been forced to abandon several gatherings over fears about crowd sizes.
The rally in Trafalgar Square was officially cancelled after 50,000 people showed interest in attending, but many still showed up. They then moved down to Whitehall to continue their protest outside the Houses of Parliament.
At one point, Tory minister Anna Soubry, who had been critical of the conduct of Boris Johnson during the referendum campaign, seemed to be close to tears even as she addressed the rally.
She urged protestors to report any racial abuse they saw in public to the police.
In his address to the crowd at Trafalgar Square Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the Brexit vote "is reversible".
The protest comes as a petition calling for a second referendum in the event of a vote of less than 60 per cent out of a minimum turnout of 75 per cent, neared nearly 4 million votes.
The referendum result had shocked the financial markets and thrown UK politics into turmoil. Prime minister David Cameron resigned while opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn lost a vote of confidence held by Labour lawmakers.
It had also split the UK along the lines of age, location and education, according to polls. While Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU; England and Wales voted to leave.
Young protesters said they felt upset and betrayed by a vote in which many older people turn their back on Europe after over 40 years.
