By Tony O'Riley And Sammie Jones-
Over zealous Brexitier protesters filled Parliament Square, leaving little room for normal daily activity, as they marched through central London, singing Land of Hope and Glory and cheering loudly.Many were high on either drugs , alcohol, or both, as was evident from the strong smell of alcohol in the breath of many of them, and the willingness of many staunch supporters to converse about pills or a line of coke with their pals and those close to them.
There was no shyness about this, as police presence was mainly to ensure a peaceful protest and prevent things from getting out of hand. The crowd was charged and driven by an occasion which was an expression of frustration at the government’s indecisiveness about the direction of Brexit, and also a cry for attention.
The ‘Make Brexit Happen’ rally was scheduled for 4pm on Friday afternoon. It included speeches from Ukip leader Gerard Batten and English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson was planned for 4pm.
Some of us attended with friends, some of whom support Brexit, and some who don’t. The idea in this sort of crowd is for the crowd to be united in their distress with the lengthy proceedings of the British government in delivering Brexit. It would be the wrong atmosphere for any remainer(one who supports staying in the EU) to express their views or even whisper calls for a second referendum to echo the views of some Mps.
Most of the protesters are likely to have been clueless about the real issues obstructing Brexit, as very few could give a knowledgeable opinion about why the delay surrounding a Brexit deal is still going on. Some understand the politics going on, but many are simply passionate Brits who have been egged on by someone to join the crowd , drink, and make noise. Asked during a moment’s break how this dreadful deadlock should be solved, one protester replied: ”fxxx it, we voted leave, they should just leave in’t?
Another said : ” I reckon they are just finding an excuse to keep us in the EU, we don’t need a deal, we can always trade with America and the rest of the world. Come on, we are Great Britain, we will manage well”. These were vague responses, although there would probably have been more knowledgeable people in the crowd with a more informed view about the present crisis.
Another said: ”It was Theresa May who negotiated the deal, so I don’t get why Mps are blocking it. She agreed it, and it is the only way we can leave the EU with a deal. It is the best deal available at the moment”.
Five people have were arrested at the march after police clashed with some of the unruly protesters. One of them arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, and two others on suspicion of assault.
ANIMATED
The crowd was visibly animated when Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin, Nigel Farage and a number of MPs took to the stage to speak to them.Ex-Ukip boss Mr Farage was typically vocal as he led the final part of the Leave Means Leave rally the last part of their walk from Sunderland in support of Brexit.”We should be leaving with No Deal.
“I have to say honestly I’d rather have an extension to Article 50 than have this appalling treaty that Mrs May signed up to.
“I think it’s the end of the road, not just for this new European treaty which is what it is but for her as well.”
STAND FIRM
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin, thrilled the Brexit supporting crowd when he spoke to loyal backers of Brexit and told them to stand firm for a little while longer and Brexit will be delivered
He said that Britain has been waiting to leave the EU and assured the crowds: “I suppose it’s been going for 30 or 40 years, so we can wait a few more days”.
“I’d like to see us leave on April 12, I think we can save £39 billion, we can regain control of fishing which a lot of people seem to have forgotten about.
“I think it will be really good for British business, we can take the £39 billion which is going to vanish to Brussels in a flash and we can invest it in the UK.
“Anything you can buy from Europe you can buy from the rest of the world.
“Replace French brandy with Aussie brandy. Replace champagne with English sparkling wine.
Les Curtis, 70, who joined the protest from south east London told the Press Association: “I still want ‘no deal’ because then there’s no argument – then if we have any problems we can only blame ourselves.”
His pal, 65-year-old Ray Finch from Essex added: “What we want is freedom and democracy.
“If MPs don’t do what they are told they should be sacked, the same as everyone else in the country.”