Footage from Saturday’s ‘anti-Brexit’ protest shows the aggression of Europhile marchers and widespread ignorance of the institution they profess to love.
Thousands of people marched in London to protest the result of Britain’s referendum on the country’s membership of the European Union (EU).
Videos from the march, filmed by independent journalist Graham Phillips, show a lone Leave supporter being abused by pro-EU demonstrators. What is also notable from the footage is that despite the protesters’ enthusiasm towards the EU, they appear to have little knowledge of it.
At the protest, a woman called Jane peacefully stood up for ‘Brexit’, the referendum choice backed by a majority of the British people. Holding a sign reading “Leave”, the coach driver was heckled and told to “go home” by angry marchers.
Standing quietly, the grandmother was confronted by an aggressive woman asking her why she was holding a “Leave” sign. Mr Phillips quipped “Why not?” and told the pro-EU protester that “there’s freedom of speech in the UK, freedom to protest.”
“Trouble is these people” the Europhile woman said, furiously jabbing her finger at Jane, “are overriding us”.
Jane explained why she was at the march, quietly expressing her support for ‘Brexit’. She told the furious woman, “I’m doing this for my family, my grandchildren, everybody’s grandchildren”
The women then told the coach driver, “You’re destroying this country, you’re destroying the people, you’re destroying our relations and our neighbours.
“No, it’s the EU Brussels club that’s destroying us”, Jane hit back
During this exchange between the two women, a man interjected several times to shout at the camera that UKIP leader Nigel Farage “is a neo-Nazi”
Another clip filmed by Mr Phillips showed a man in tartan trousers hurling abuse at the grandmother. The video shows him shouting at the lone ‘Brexit’ supporter and, somewhat inexplicably, ordering her to move in with Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe.
In one of the videos Mr Phillips speaks with a man who professes to love the EU. The Irishman said it’s only thanks to the union that his family was able to move to the UK in 1989.
In actual fact, there has been freedom of movement between the UK and the Republic of Ireland for decades whilst freedom of movement did not become a part of EU membership until the 1992 Maastricht Treaty.
Telling the man he seems “very knowledgeable” about the EU, Mr Phillips asked him who his favourite MP is.
The Europhile appeared to take several moments to think, before spluttering, “It’s Fireman Sam”.
The video showed that such ignorance about the EU’s role among the marchers was common.
Despite the fact many declared the EU to be “perfect”, many appeared to know almost nothing about it.
Asked his favourite figure in Europe’s political institution, one EU enthusiast named the French footballer, Thierry Henri
One man, when asked his three favourite things about the EU said, “only three?”
When pressed to name some, however, Mr Phillips’ interviewee hesitated before answering just “Err… I love it?”
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