To mark Human Rights Day on Saturday, December 10, concerned Europeans in Brighton and Hove will form a Silent Chain for Europe.
Gather at 12 noon outside the Unitarian Church, New Road, and link arms in silence with others to demonstrate against the removal of these rights.
Other Silent Chains will take place at the same date and time elsewhere in the UK including London, Manchester, Oxford and York.
This is event is organised by The Brighton & Hove 48%, working with Brighton and Hove for Europe and Proud Europeans.
“I came to the UK from Germany in 1981,” says Petra Kopp, one of the event organisers. “I have lived and worked here ever since and consider Brighton my home – yet I now feel like a bargaining chip in a political fight. I need assurance that my status as a member of British society is secured.”
Petra is one of approximately 3 million EU citizens living in the UK and is now faced with the prospect of having to apply for permanent residence and citizenship to secure her future in the UK.
“As a British citizen I am ashamed about the xenophobia that has surfaced in this country since the Referendum result in June,” says Felton Shortall, who is also contributing to this event. “We need to stand up for the rights of the people whose future is threatened by the prospect of Brexit.”
Susie Courtault from Proud Europeans, says: “We are a grassroots cross-party/no party campaign group which has sprung up because we are genuinely concerned about the loss of the rights we have enjoyed through our membership of the EU. We are affiliated to the European Movement which is campaigning to retain our EU citizenship, and our aim is to help promote this idea through a petition.”
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