Portuguese Brexit protester moves to Scotland for safety

A Portuguese woman who became a social media phenomenon following her interruption on British television during a protest in London against 'Brexit' on Wednesday has relocated to Scotland for fear of repercussions.

"I want to stay in Scotland for a while working because I'm safer. I'm afraid of going on the bus now, I'm afraid of riding the underground and walking on the street," Ana Rocha told Lusa news agency.



The health technician, who specialises in caring for people with disabilities, took part in a Westminster rally against the five-week suspension of parliament announced by the Boris Johnson government on Wednesday and decided to stop a live report from Sky News.



"I am Portuguese and I worked here for 20 years and I have no voice. The residence system [for Europeans] is not working," she said, adding: "I gave this country my youth and I am very grateful for what they taught me. But they must include me in this process. I cannot simply be expelled, " she said at the time.



The passionate intervention, whose video excerpt spread quickly across social media, received expressions of support from people who identified with or sympathised with the uncertain situation of European citizens, but also generated criticism and raised suspicions about the dramatic tone of the Portuguese, questioning her authenticity.



Resident in the United Kingdom for about 20 years, Rocha has actress training: "When people find out I do theatre, they will say it is 'fake news'."







"I am a very sensitive person. I am Portuguese, I have Fado inside me, and it sucked. I am really sad because I saw the destruction of a country that I I love and taught me a lot of things. It hurts so much to see this society destroyed, " she explained by phone to Lusa.



In her speech, Ana Rocha refers to the difficulties she has had in obtaining resident status through a system of migratory regularisation opened by the British Home Office.



She told Lusa that she will have to restart the process started through the company she works for because of a mistake with a social security number, but resents the distrust with which she was treated.



"They told me they weren't finsing me in the system, like I'm lying," she said.



Regarding the media exposure she has had, she does not regret using it to denounce abuses and injustices related to Brexit, namely felt by the Portuguese.



"Now I feel like talking. I'm sick of being quiet, going to work and being quiet, hearing insults on the bus and the underground, and everybody having these completely dysfunctional opinions about what immigrants do in this country"