Despite the fickle weather, members of Bath for Europe and neighbouring groups turned out for the Day for Rejoin regional action which took place around the UK and in Spain.
In Bath, the local non-politically-aligned campaign group set the scene for a Georgian-themed photo in front of Royal Crescent, while holding up a large sign with a special message that was revealed on the day.
A ‘slight’ rewrite of the opening line from Ms Austen’s Pride and Prejudice!
Around 50 supporters came dressed in European flag t-shirts and berets – known as bEUrets – along with Georgian wigs and attire. The event attracted a lot of attention from onlookers in the busy park, with some passers by joining in. Supporters helped drum up a storm on social media, with photos and messages on the day being shared, causing the hashtag #dayforrejoin to trend on twitter.
One of the organisers, Alice Hovanessian, said:
‘Bath is one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, we are a historic city which has always had strong links with our European neighbours. It was no surprise when the majority of Bath citizens voted to remain in the EU referendum. But I think people not only in Bath but all over the country are starting to realise what a disaster Brexit has been, and the idea of rejoining the Single Market is starting to be discussed more as something we should consider.
Even our Brexit-voting PM, Rishi Sunak, pointed out how lucky Northern Ireland was to be in the “unbelievable position” of being in the UK but also “having access to the single market in Europe”.’
Other events in nearby towns on the day included a ‘Rally for Change’ in Exeter, organised by Devon for Europe, an EU-themed market stall in Salisbury Market organised by Salisbury for Europe, ‘Dance Europa!’ rally and performance in Swindon, organised by Swindon for Europe.
