Roads around central London were closed to facilitate the massive first Rejoin the EU March and rally outside parliament on Saturday 22 October. Tens of thousands from over the UK and abroad attended this march, which blew away expectations from the organising team. The numbers were so large that the police closed many roads including Park Lane, roads in St James Whitehall, and Parliament Square itself. The key message of the day was that it’s time to start thinking and talking about rejoining the European Union. It’s the patriotic thing to do – to bring back the prosperity that Britain enjoyed when we were full members. As Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt who spoke at the rally said “Brexit was a gift to Putin”.
Numbers at the National Rejoin March
It was always going to be difficult to know how many would turn up on the day. Team estimates prior to the day were from 10,000 to 15,000; we knew some people were anxious about marching to a rejoin message, but the team was bold, determined, passionate, and totally committed to doing this rally and kickstarting this campaign to rejoin. Estimates on the day were around 50,000.
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Never be afraid
We were not afraid while others pondered, and the overwhelming level of support on the day and in the weeks leading up to the march was inspirational to us all. In many respects, it’s a lesson to all of us in politics and campaigning that when we are passionate and know we are right nothing will stop us. We have confounded all the critics and sceptics and this movement to rejoin has gathered huge momentum. We will move forward with great confidence and enthusiasm.It may take a while; it’s not necessarily happening next week or next year but small steps in the years to come will incrementally mean we will rejoin fully. Indeed, this may happen sooner than any of us think
Thank you
For the tens of thousands who attended the rally we say thank you to each and every one of you, especially those who travelled very long distances from across the UK and beyond. Thank you to all our great speakers, stewards, and everyone who has helped in any way. Your enthusiasm and support continue to be inspiring, and we say thank you so very much. We need others to help deliver on our ambitions and we encourage you to message and volunteer to help in the future. The more help we have the quicker we will achieve our ambition.
But for now, we wish to record our very deep gratitude to all who helped us. This includes all of our partners and supporters. This includes The New European newspaper, 16 Million Rising our radio partner, the regional Bylines, Stay European, the European Movement, and around 50 pro-EU local groups across the UK and abroad. We achieved massive media coverage and international and national credibility, showing that we are most definitely a movement to be reckoned with.
We want our star back and we will campaign hard to get it back
Join us on the journey to rejoin. It’s the patriotic thing to do
The National Rejoin EU Team
