As UK lawmakers sit in parliament on a Saturday for the first time in nearly four decades, hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in central London today to demand a second Brexit referendum. The march began at 12pm local time, arriving at the final destination of Parliament Square around 2pm.
The People’s Vote march will see opposition lawmaker and Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell deliver a speech. As of writing, more than £549,000 ($712,876) had been raised for the event, just shy of a fundraising target. More than 40,000 people have also signed an open letter asking for a “final say” over Brexit.
This is not the first such demonstration. An earlier one held in March drew an estimated 1 million people calling for a second referendum on the UK’s membership to the EU. Another a year ago also saw hundreds of thousands turn up for the rally, which at the time was the largest since Stop the War demonstrations over Iraq in 2003.
Prime minister Boris Johnson, in a surprise turn of events, secured a new Brexit deal with the EU on Thursday (Oct. 17). Lawmakers today passed an amendment that guarantees a Brexit delay beyond the current Oct. 31 deadline, and will next week vote on the deal itself.
