Protesters in London and other UK cities call for UK to strengthen ties to continent following Brexit vote

Thousands of pro-Europe protesters have flooded the streets of London, calling for the UK to strengthen ties to the continent following the Brexit vote.

The March for Europe was launched on the anniversary of the outbreak of the second world war, to increase pressure on the government to delay formally invoking article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, which would trigger a two-year deadline to withdrawal from the European Union.

Simultaneous protests rallying support for keeping close economic, cultural and social links to Europe are taking place in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Oxford, and Cambridge. Demonstrators are backed by Labour’s Chuka Umunna, co-leader of the Green party Caroline Lucas, and comedians Eddie Izzard and Josie Long.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police stand in a cordon as a pro-Europe marcher shouts at people forming an anti-EU pro-Brexit counter-protest. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty

In London, a man was wrestled to the floor by police after snatching Izzard’s trademark pink beret when grappling with him in the street. The entertainer was appearing in support of the event.



Campaigners marched from Hyde Park and through Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament, where a debate on whether a second EU referendum should take place will be held on Monday.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A man was wrestled to the floor by police after snatching comedian Eddie Izzard’s beret. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

It comes after an online petition garnered more than 4m signatures after the vote to leave the EU in June, but an official government response to the campaign said the Brexit decision “must be respected”.

The demonstrations are also calling for greater public consultation on every stage of the Brexit negotiations. A sea of blue EU flags filled Parliament Square shortly after 1pm, where protesters sang along to The Beatles’ hit Hey Jude, replacing the title words instead with “EU”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest People march with EU flags and pro-Europe slogans on placards during a March for Europe protest against the Brexit vote. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Izzard had his headgear stolen near Downing Street by a man dressed in all black with a balaclava covering half his face. Despite wearing high heels, Izzard gave furious chase as police caught the man and tore back his beret while he was pinned to the floor. He then dusted off the pink garment and placed it back on his head before marching to Parliament Square.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pro-EU protest in central London

The protests come after Theresa May told her cabinet last week that there would be “no attempts to stay in the EU by the back door”. She told them: “We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit, that we’re going to make a success of it.”

On Thursday, the Electoral Reform Society said the referendum debate was dominated by “glaring democratic deficiencies” that left voters disengaged and confused about contrasting claims, and called for a review to ensure future referendums did not repeat the same mistakes. The pressure group said voters felt both the leave and remain campaigns turned increasingly negative as the race wore on and many high-profile political figures including party leaders Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron were a turnoff.

But a Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “The British people spoke decisively at the referendum, with one of the highest turnouts of any vote seen in a UK-wide poll in a generation. They voted to leave the European Union – and this government will deliver on the people’s verdict.”