Anti-Brexit protesters rally in London, demanding UK's return to EU

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Anti-Brexit protesters rally in London, demanding UK's return to EU

2024-09-29 13:16 Last Updated At：16:17

Several hundred demonstrators marched through London on Saturday to urge the British government to rejoin the European Union, calling Brexit the worst decision the country has made in centuries.

With placards reading "Stop the Brexit mess" and "Rejoin the EU," protesters marched from Hyde Park to Parliament Square. Demonstrators said Brexit has dealt a significant blow to the British economy and the lives of ordinary people.

"Brexit's the worst thing that happened to Britain for centuries. Brexit has cost everybody or costs everybody a thousand pounds every year. Many hundreds of businesses have gone broke, gone bust because of Brexit. Supermarket shelves are empty. There's a medicine shortage. And every time we go to an airport we have to queue forever. And we have to get that changed. If it's not changed, Britain will remain on a spiral of decline, which it is at the moment," said John, a protester.

A February opinion poll found that 56 percent of the British public believed it was a mistake to leave the EU. Another survey conducted by pollster YouGov in August showed that up to 59 percent of Britons would vote in favor if there was a referendum on returning to the EU. "I feel really strongly that Britain needs to be back in the EU. I feel European and I think it's really important for our economy," said protester Diane.

Brexit has dominated British politics and divided the nation for years. On June 23, 2016, Britain voted to leave the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent. After two general elections, intensive negotiations with the bloc and parliamentary wrangling at home, the country finally completed the divorce with the EU in January 2020 and secured a post-Brexit trade deal before Christmas that year.

On Jan. 1, 2021, Britain left the European single market and the EU customs union. Under the post-Brexit trade agreement, trade in goods will continue to be tariff-free and quota-free.

EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland

Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."

Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.

"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.

"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.