Brits in Ireland Rally to Protest Boris Johnson’s Brexit Gambit
Brits in Ireland Rally to Protest Boris Johnson’s Brexit Gambit
(Bloomberg) -- About 12 years ago, Grace Williams moved with her family to Dublin from the U.K. when the border to Ireland had lost the divisive power that led to decades of sectarian violence. Today, she’ll protest against Boris Johnson’s plans to suspend Parliament as Brexit tensions and fears of a return to a hard border rise.
Williams, 25, is helping to organize a group called ‘Brits Not Out,’ set up in the wake of Johnson’s move last week, with the chances of a no-deal Brexit increasing. Initially expecting “a modest gathering” at a rally at the British embassy in Dublin, interest has swelled since the protest plans went public, with a bigger group now anticipated, she said.
“We are calling on the many British nationals who have made their lives in Ireland to join our protest against this outrageous and undemocratic act,” she said.
As the protest unfolds in Dublin, lawmakers in London who oppose a no-deal Brexit will try to seize control of parliamentary business on Tuesday. The aim is to pass legislation that would force Johnson to delay Brexit in the event of no deal. Johnson told an emergency Cabinet meeting that if the rebels win, he’ll respond by seeking a vote the next day to hold a general election.
Over 100,000 U.K. nationals live in Ireland, according to the most recent census, taken in 2016. In the year to April, more than 7,000 British people moved to Ireland, the most since at least 2013.
Originally from Carlisle in northwest England, Williams now describes herself as “half Irish” and works for a local labor union. While applying for an Irish passport, she still has a British passport and has some advice for U.K. politicians seeking to remove the backstop at the heart of the Brexit impasse.
“I think Brexit has brought to light some of the tensions that have been lingering,” said Williams. “This idea from some commentators that Ireland should know its place -- it doesn’t show awareness of how delicate the peace process is.”
--With assistance from Peter Flanagan.
To contact the reporter on this story: Dara Doyle in Dublin at ddoyle1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Chris Reiter
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