Dear European leaders,

We, the signatories, understand that an EU summit has been called for this Wednesday 29 June 2016 to discuss the ramifications of the “Leave” vote in the UK referendum on EU membership.

While the UK government is understandably not invited to these talks, we urge those present to hear the voice of millions of Brits who are proud to be EU citizens and do not wish that citizenship to be ripped away from us against our will.

With a turnout of 72% in the referendum, only 37% of the voting population actively voted to leave the EU. According to polls, 73% of those under 25 voted to stay, as did the majority of the under 45s, and 40% of those over 65.

Thousands of Brits living in the rest of Europe were not given the choice to vote about their future, nor were British young adults; those 16 and 17 year-olds who were given the vote in the Scottish independence referendum and denied that right in this one. Their future is now decided before they have had a chance to cast any political vote. We also represent those Europeans who have made the UK their home and who had no vote but will be impacted by the outcome of this result.

So many of us voted to remain in the EU because being British and European are not mutually exclusive. Europeans are our friends, our co-workers, and our family.

When you start negotiations with a government that only has the mandate of 37% of the voting population, please remember the 16,141,241 who voted on Thursday that are being taken out of the EU against our will. Please do not allow our voices to be silenced.

Thank you.