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Hundreds of anti-Brexit protesters rallied together in Manchester this afternoon, demanding to “rejoin the EU”. However, scenes of the sparsely-populated pro-European Union demonstration were met with ridicule, with one viewer joking that “there must at least a million there”. The protest took place against the backdrop of the annual Conservative Party conference, which starts tomorrow.
Speakers at the rally included prominent Remain campaigner Femi Oluwole.
Protestors at the rally blamed the ongoing fuel shortages across the UK on the lack of HGV drivers following Brexit.
Empty fuel pumps have prompted long lines at petrol stations and panic across the country over the last week.
The chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) even suggested fuel shortages are getting worse in some parts of the country, including London and the southeast.
At the same time, negotiations between Downing Street and Brussels remain deadlocked over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
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A spokesperson from the Rejoin EU group said: “The Tories’ ruinous Brexit deal is trashing the country.
“Peace in Northern Ireland is threatened, there are shortages in the shops and crops rotting in the fields.
“Small businesses are being crushed by Brexit red tape, whole industries are threatened, some are trashed. It’s time to say loud and clear, Brexit is not working.”
Supporters of EU membership like user @SteveM0365 tweeted: “Now begins the long, inevitable journey towards realignment with the EU.”
However, the rally also provoked bemusement among Brexiteers online, as one @bemusedcentrist tweeted: “Seems like it working perfectly to me.
“How much more pay is being offered to HGV drivers now?”
@TheHangedMan18 joked: “I reckon there must be at least a million people there.”
This comes amid a renewed pushback against the decision to leave the EU in the wake of the ongoing shortages.
Earlier today, Labour MP Diane Abbott tweeted that the supply chain crisis and fuel shortages are the “economic consequences of Brexit”.
Olaf Scholz, who is favourite to become the next German chancellor, also blamed Brexit for the shortage of lorry drivers in the UK, the fuel crisis and empty supermarket shelves.
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