Britons protest PM’s Brexit ‘coup’ move

Tens of thousands of people took part in noisy protests across Britain yesterday over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s suspension of the British parliament just two months before the country is scheduled to depart from the European Union.The government says it is usual for parliament to be suspended before a new prime minister outlines his policy programme in a Queen’s speech, now scheduled for October 14.His supporters also say parliament usually breaks in late September, when the main political parties hold their annual conferences.But his critics say the suspension, known as a prorogation, is unusually long and describe the move as a thinly-veiled attempt to reduce the time that lawmakers will have to debate before Britain leaves the EU at the end of October.Demonstrations were held under the slogan “stop the coup”, including in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, and Belfast.The anti-Brexit initiative “Another Europe Is Possible” had issued the call to protest and hoped for hundreds of thousands of participants.Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party took part in a protest in Scotland, while shadow home secretary Diana Abbott addressed the crowd in London’s Whitehall, saying that Corbyn sent his support for the demonstration.In London, they gathered outside the gates protecting the prime minister’s London residence at 10 Downing Street, chanting and carrying placards and European Union flags.“For me it is all about democracy,” Audrey, a 23-year-old student,told DPA above the chants.She was carrying a placard that read “I am just so angry”.“Whether people voted for or against Brexit, I respect that, but you cannot just shut down parliament,” she said.“I’m absolutely disgusted by what’s happening here,” said attendee Maya Dunn, 66, a Dutch citizen living in Britain, who accused Johnson of “riding roughshod over everybody”.“You just can’t trust him,” she said.Protesters chanted “Boris Johnson, shame on you”, “Trump’s puppet, shame on you”, “Liar Johnson, shame on you”, the Press Association(PA) reported, adding that protesters rang a bell, blew whistles and beat a drum.Participants heard speeches from opposition politicians on a stage erected on Whitehall before marching through Westminster.Some held hand-written signs reading “defend democracy: resist the parliament shutdown” and “wake up UK! Or welcome to Germany 1933”.“Nobody voted for a dictatorship,” said Bridie Walton, 55, in Exeter, who added Brexit had prompted her to demonstrate for the first time in her life. “These are the actions of a man who is afraid his arguments will not stand scrutiny.”“He [Johnson] was not elected by the people,” said 26-year-old Mia among the crowds of overwhelmingly young people. “We cannot allow such a politician to lead us into a disaster.” Johnson was elected leader of the Conservative Party by its membership in July to replace Theresa May after she resigned in May when parliament repeatedly rejected her Brexit deal with the EU.He automatically became prime minister.“Brexit is a national disgrace”, one other placard read, while another pictured Johnson as Pinocchio with a growing nose and the words “Don’t trust him”.Britain remains deeply divided over Brexit between those for and against it, but even within the pro-Brexit camp, there are sharp divisions between those who favour a departure with no deal and those who want an orderly exit with a transitional period.Johnson maintains Britain will leave the EU on October 31 no matter what.Although the London parliament is regularly suspended, or prorogued,Johnson’s decision last week to do so for four weeks is highly controversial so soon before the October 31 Brexit deadline as the opposition and rebel lawmakers within his own party fear it will prevent them from stopping Brexit happening without a deal.While Johnson has said he wants to secure a deal with the EU for Britain’s departure from the bloc, he is willing to countenance leaving with no deal if Brussels does not offer him concessions, specifically on the so-called “backstop” arrangement to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.Northern Ireland is set to leave the EU along with Britain, while the Republic of Ireland remains in the EU, placing at risk the open border between the two parts of the island, which was hard won during negotiations for a peace deal that ended decades of conflict between the pro-British and pro-Irish sides in the North.Many fear the reimposition of a border with checks and uniformed officers could reignite the conflict that ended in 1998 with the Good Friday, or Belfast, Agreement.Some 3,500 people were killed in the conflict, known locally as The Troubles, and around 50,000 were injured.The EU refuses to drop the backstop and is waiting for Johnson to come up with concrete suggestions as to how Britain can maintain an open border in Ireland once it leaves the bloc’s single market and customs union.The backstop would keep Northern Ireland largely aligned with the EU, removing the need for a border.Johnson rejects this as it would split Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.Corbyn has threatened to hold a no-confidence vote in the government – which has a parliamentary majority of just one – if MPs fail to pass a law to prevent a no-deal Brexit.He said yesterday that next week is lawmakers’ “last chance” to act.“We will do absolutely everything we can to prevent a no-deal Brexit,” Corbyn vowed during a three-day visit to Scotland.Johnson on Friday cautioned MPs against trying to hamper his plans, saying that a decision to delay Brexit again would do “lasting damage” to public trust in politics.He said the opposition’s efforts could in fact help lead to a no-deal Brexit as EU counterparts would be less likely to offer a compromise if they believed Brexit could be stopped.Queen Elizabeth II gave her approval to Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament for mid-September until October 14 on Wednesday, sparking widespread outrage, legal challenges and promises of resistance from parliamentarians.Yesterday finance minister Sajid Javid defended the move, despite saying during the recent Tory leadership contest when he stood against Johnson that “you don’t deliver democracy by trashing democracy”.“It doesn’t usually sit for some time in September and early October,” the chancellor told BBC radio.An online petition calling for the government to reverse its suspension has garnered nearly 1.7mn signatures.In the courts, a Scottish judge is expected to hear a legal challenge against the suspension on Tuesday – the same day MPs return from their summer break for their shortened parliamentary session.There will be a separate court hearing on Thursday for another challenge that is being supported by John Major, a former Conservative prime minister and staunch opponent of Brexit.A court case being heard in Belfast next week aims to block Johnson’s suspension of parliament on the grounds that a no-deal Brexit would breach the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the British-run province of Northern Ireland.Protesters said the government had failed to take into account the importance of the border issue.“The thing that scares me most is they have no appreciation of what is important for Northern Ireland. We are not on their radar,” said Graham Glendinning, 49, a software worker. “The border means nothing to them and they don’t give two hoots about it.”