Remainers march in much-reduced numbers to mark Brexit day

On an overcast Friday afternoon in central London, a small sea of European Union flags were waving outside No 10 Downing Street. The group of protesters – about 150 in number – were marking Britain's exit from the European Union at 11pm. A few Irish flags, a Union Jack and a Welsh flag could also be seen in the melee; and people carried signs that read "Forever European", "Thank you for the mEUsic" and "call me European".

Meanwhile, a bigger crowd was developing along Whitehall and into Parliament Square – the green just outside of Westminster Palace. Here, pro-Brexit revellers were waving Union Jacks and the St George's Cross. A few were wearing masks of Donald Trump's face – with one man sporting a red baseball cap emblazoned with the phrase "Make Britain Great Again" in the style of Trump's supporters from across the Atlantic ocean.

In March 2019 and October of the same year, anti-Brexit protests attracted crowds in the hundreds of thousands

They were singing jubilantly about Boris Johnson and were heard shouting "you lost, get over it" at the pro-EU protest.

"We are outnumbered," said Martin from Ballymun, who marched alongside the remainers. And he was right – there was a seismic difference in crowd size from previous pro-Europe marches. In March 2019 and October of the same year, anti-Brexit protests attracted crowds in the hundreds of thousands.

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Police presence

Anticipating the likelihood of clashes between the two groups, there was a notably heavy police presence. And as the pro-EU camp was moving towards Parliament Square, police had to form physical barriers between them and the pro-Brexit revellers.

Ann Marie, an NHS worker originally from Galway, said she "used to think the UK was an extraordinarily tolerant country", but since the referendum she is no longer so sure. Jim, an Irishman who has lived in London since the 1960s, said Brexit made him anxious over the possibility that the UK might see "the return of racism" that he thought "we had more or less succeeded in quelling". He marched holding a sign that read "No hard border in Ireland".

It's the death of democracy if you can't walk down the street of your own city

Despite the tense atmosphere arising between the two groups, 83-year-old Margaret, who has attended a number of anti-Brexit demonstrations since the referendum in 2016, said she found the remainer contingent marching on Friday “very supportive”.

Hostility

Victoria, who was protesting alongside her landlady Angela, also noted that the atmosphere felt very different from the previous pro-EU marches she had been on. Angela added her concerns over the hostility of the occasion, and remarked that she found the atmosphere threatening. “It’s the death of democracy if you can’t walk down the street of your own city.”

The pro-EU marchers eventually gathered outside of the European liaison office on Smith Square, out of sight of those partying in Parliament Square. Julie Ward, a Labour Party MEP for the North Nest of England, addressed the crowd, noting that the remainers out protesting on Friday "were full of joy and peace and diversity . . . This is British values and European values on show today."