Pro-Remain campaigners bring chaos to UK-Rep of Ireland border town

Blackleaf

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Anti-Brexit campaigners have erected six mock customs checkpoints along the UK/Irish Republic border on Saturday in a protest over the possible impact to peace, jobs and the free movement of workers.

Northern Ireland, a British province, will be the only land frontier between the United Kingdom and the European Union once Britain leaves and some fear that will mean a return to checks at the border where about 30,000 people cross each day for work.

The frontier was marked by military checkpoints until a 1998 peace deal ended three decades of violence between Catholic nationalists seeking a united Ireland and Protestant unionists who wanted to keep Northern Ireland British. Over 3,600 died in that time.

The protesters also held placards saying "RESPECT THE REMAIN VOTE" - the Remain vote that LOST the referendum!

Is this what Brexit looks like? Pro-Remain campaigners bring chaos to border town as they set up mock checkpoints between Ireland and Northern Ireland


Anti-Brexiters use 6 'custom checkpoints' at Northern Ireland border

The protest aims to show the impact on peace, jobs and free movement

Northern Ireland will be the only land frontier between the UK and EU once Britain leaves and some fear that will mean a return to checks at the border

By Jessica Duncan For Mailonline
9 October 2016

Anti-Brexit campaigners erected six mock customs checkpoints along the Northern Ireland and Irish Republic border on Saturday in a protest over the possible impact to peace, jobs and the free movement of workers.

Northern Ireland, a British province, will be the only land frontier between the United Kingdom and the European Union once Britain leaves and some fear that will mean a return to checks at the border where about 30,000 people cross each day for work.

The frontier was marked by military checkpoints until a 1998 peace deal ended three decades of violence between Catholic nationalists seeking a united Ireland and Protestant unionists who wanted to keep Northern Ireland British. Over 3,600 died in that time.


Anti-Brexit campaigners, Borders Against Brexit, set up a mock customs search during a protest against Britain's vote to leave the European Union, at the border town of Carrickcarnon in Ireland


Anti-Brexit campaigners dressed in old military attire during their protest


Northern Ireland, a British province, will be the only land frontier between the United Kingdom and the European Union once Britain leaves and some fear that will mean a return to checks at the border where about 30,000 people cross each day for work

'We want to stop the re-imposition of those border posts,' said Border Communities Against Brexit spokesman Declan Fearon, leading a protest in the town of Carrickcarnon between the Northern Irish county of Armagh and the Republic of Ireland county of Louth.

'In many cases they divided people's farms. They divided communities and parishes. Young people nowadays have never known of that,' said Fearon, who runs a kitchen manufacturing company two miles north of the border.

In Carrickcarnon, some locals dressed up as customs officers and caused tailbacks at a temporary road barrier where they called motorists into a mock customs booth and searched vehicles beside fake British customs signs that demanded they stop.

Signs telling motorists they were entering the European Union free travel zone were erected on the other side of the border.

Hundreds protested from Carrickcarnon, which is less than an hour's drive from Dublin airport, to the border between the counties of Donegal (RoI) and Derry (NI), 100 miles north-west.


Signs telling motorists they were entering the European Union free travel zone were erected on the other side of the border


Some motorists were left amused but others became confused and frustrated with the antics


Lots of local media arrived to capture the event

Overall, 52 percent of voters in the United Kingdom voted in favour of leaving the EU in June's referendum, but a majority - 56 percent - of those voting in Northern Ireland supported remaining in the bloc.

'In (the Northern Irish constituency) Foyle where I am 82 percent of people voted to remain,' said Dermot O'Hara, a charity worker protesting at the Donegal/Derry border.

'The democratic mandate of the remain camp (in Northern Ireland) should be respected.'


A lorry has a slogan marked on it during a protest by Anti-Brexit campaigners -Borders Against Brexit


Banners are displayed during the protest where '82 per cent of people wanted to remain'


Overall, 52 percent of voters in the United Kingdom voted in favour of leaving the EU in June's referendum, but a majority - 56 percent - of those voting in Northern Ireland supported remaining in the bloc

 
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Curious Cdn

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Don't those "mock" checkpoints go back up for real after Brexit? Isn't that the point of Brexit? ... to keep out those dirty foreigners? Just who is really causing the chaos, here?
 

Blackleaf

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Don't those "mock" checkpoints go back up for real after Brexit?

No. The Republic of Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands all comprise the Common Travel Area (CTA). Set up in 1923, just after what is now the Republic of Ireland seceded from the UK, it predates the two countries' entry into what is now the EU by 50 years.

Even if Brexit does affect the CTA then it hardly matters - controls and checkpoints along international borders are normal in most parts of the world. Most countries control their borders.

that the point of Brexit? ... to keep out those dirty foreigners? Just who is really causing the chaos, here?

Polls have shown that immigration was low down on Leave supporters' concerns and that, in fact, regaining national sovereignty was the number one desire amongst the Leave majority.

However, immigration is still a very real concern and it should be cut. There are too many immigrants in Britain and Brexit will, finally, allow Britain to end the disastrous EU policy of free movement of people into Britain. Soon Britain will be able to also reduce the number of EU immigrants, and it's not before time.
 

Curious Cdn

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So, the Republic of Ireland must also leave the EU? If not, their border is still open to migration from other EU countries and without fences, checkpoints, border guards, so is yours. Those filty garlic eaters will flood into your green and pleasant land via Eire and the ferry to Wales.

You need to build a wall!
 
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Blackleaf

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So, the Republic of Ireland must also leave the EU?

I think all countries should leave the EU.

If not, their border is still open to migration from other EU countries and without fences, checkpoints, border guards, so is yours. Those filty garlic eaters will flood into your green and pleasant land via Eire and the fery to Wales.



The heads of government from the United Kingdom and Ireland say they are both keen to preserve the common travel area between the two countries despite the UK’s upcoming exit from the European Union.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said that while Ireland’s future lies within the EU, its strong and close relationship with the UK will remain.

The common travel area dates back to 1923.

“We benefitted from a common travel area between the UK and the Republic of Ireland for many years before either country was a member of the EU,” Theresa May said at a joint news conference. “There is a strong will on both sides to preserve it and so we must now focus on securing a deal that is in the interests of both of us.”

“We are in full agreement that we do not wish to see any return to the borders of the past on the island of Ireland,” said Enda Kenny

Visiting Belfast on Monday, May said she does not want to see a return to border controls between The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The future of that frontier is unclear and could be complicated because it would be the UK’s only land border with the EU.

UK and Ireland keen to preserve Common Travel Area after Brexit
 

Curious Cdn

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I think all countries should leave the EU.

What you Brits think about other sovereign nations is quite irrelevant. What are going to do, invade the Irish Republic?

The common travel area dates back to 1923.

Nonsense. The border has been controlled and armed for most of the period, since then.
 

Blackleaf

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I think all countries should leave the EU.

What you Brits think about other sovereign nations is quite irrelevant. What are going to do, invade the Irish Republic?

No it isn't irrelevant. I believe all countries should follow Britain's lead and leave the EU. Anti-EU feeling is now the majority in most EU member states and I think it'd be better for the economic and social well-being of member states if, like wise old Britain, they leave this crumbling Union BEFORE it crashes and burns rather than as a result of it crashing and burning. Leave the Titanic before it hits the iceberg. That's what Britain's doing and many other EU citizens now want do do what Britain has done.
 

Danbones

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revenooers and whiskey...yeee haww!!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aUl9l1O7sE
 

Blackleaf

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The Brits should mind their own business.

I'm allowed to have my own opinion.

And my opinion is that all the remaining 27 EU Member States should announce, unilaterally, that they are to withdraw from the European Union and regain their freedom, independence and sovereignty.

I also think that the Rep of Ireland should rejoin the UK, but that's another matter.
 

Curious Cdn

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I'm allowed to have my own opinion.

It was only a fes short years ago that your country illegally invaded another one based on your miguided opinions.
 

Blackleaf

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The common travel area dates back to 1923.

Nonsense. The border has been controlled and armed for most of the period, since then.

Only as a result of that 30-year UK civil war known as the Troubles, which ended in 1998, and also as a result of World War II.

Today, the CTA is back up and running and, despite what the Remainers - like those numpties protesting on the border - like to try and have us believe, both the UK and RoI governments are keen to preserve the CTA after Brexit.

Today, amongst the few noticeable signs that you are crossing the international border between the UK and Republic of Ireland are the road signs, situated right on the border, which tell you either that you are now entering a country whose road signs are in kilometres (Rep of Ireland) or are entering a country whose road signs are in miles (UK).


A road sign on the border indicating that, as you are now entering the Republic of Ireland, road signs are in kilometres

I'm allowed to have my own opinion.

It was only a fes short years ago that your country illegally invaded another one based on your miguided opinions.

Nothing to do with my opinions.

And I think the invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do.
 

Curious Cdn

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Only as a result of that 30-year UK civil war known as the Troubles, which ended in 1998, and also as a result of World War II.

Today, the CTA is back up and running and, despite what the Remainers - like those numpties protesting on the border - like to try and have us believe, both the UK and RoI governments are keen to preserve the CTA after Brexit.

Today, amongst the few noticeable signs that you are crossing the international border between the UK and Republic of Ireland are the road signs, situated right on the border, which tell you either that you are now entering a country whose road signs are in kilometres (Rep of Ireland) or are entering a country whose road signs are in miles (UK).


A road sign on the border indicating that, as you are now entering the Republic of Ireland, road signs are in kilometres



Nothing to do with my opinions.

And I think the invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do.
Of course you do. No doubt, you believe that you are still part of a great empire, too. The lot of you are deludional.
 

Machjo

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Given that Northern Ireland probably trades more with the Republic of Ireland than with Great Britain, I don't see why Northern Ireland doen't hold a referendum to reunite with the Republic of Ireland.

Scotland's another matter. It trades more with England.
 

Curious Cdn

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Given that Northern Ireland probably trades more with Ireland than with the UK, I don't see why Northern Ireland doen't hold a referendum to reunite with the Republic of Ireland.

Scotland's another matter. It trades more with England.

Absolutely.
 

Machjo

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It's been like that for a thousand years.

The EU solved the problem to a degree. That way, the Scots expand their access to the EU market without sacrificing their main market, the English market. With England out of the EU, it makes sense for Scotland to sacrifice its access to the EU market for the English one. It's like Canada and the US. We may want access to other markets, but will never abandon NAFTA to do so since we need the US more than we need others. Others are an added bonus for us just as the EU is an added bonus for Scotland, but one over which the stupid English screwed them over.

For Northern Ireland though, if I'm not mistaken, it trades more with the Republic than with Great Birtain. If so, then politics aside, just from a purely economic standpoint, it would make sense for Northern Ireland to join the Republic after Brexit since the Republic is essential, Great Britain an added bonus.