In post-Brexit UK, some Britons still embrace a European identity
| London
By her own admission, Jane Riekemann steered clear of politics for much of her life. That all changed when Brexit happened, and her German husband had to take dual British citizenship to stay in the country.
With Britain鈥檚 decision to leave the European Union, Ms. Riekemann says she felt a new sense of a European identity 鈥� even if it is one born out of loss.
鈥淏eing part of a wider community where once I could live and work freely was very important to me 鈥� countries without borders,鈥� she says from her home in the historic English city of Bath, a place she describes as politically 鈥渄onut鈥� 鈥� an enclave of those who voted to remain in Europe surrounded by Brexiteers.
Why We Wrote This
Britain may not be part of the EU any more, but it has a segment of society who regard themselves not only as British, but as European. How do they see their place in a post-Brexit Britain?
鈥淚 feel the loss of my legal EU identity keenly,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he people I鈥檝e campaigned with have similar feelings and still consider themselves European.鈥�
Ms. Riekemann is part of a significant number of Britons who regard themselves not only as British, but as European. Despite Britain鈥檚 decision to leave the EU, a sense of interconnectedness with the continent has manifested itself increasingly since the 2016 referendum. But with Brexit now realized, European-minded Britons are left to find a new way to express their identity. For some, that has meant trying to create a new, pro-Europe media to counter the largely Brexit-leaning mainstream. Others are attempting to set the stage for a British return to the bloc in some form.
Though a Europeanist path for Britons is foggy, if it exists at all, those like Ms. Riekemann are staunch in their faith. 鈥淚 have never wavered in my belief in Europe,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n the almost five years since the referendum, I have become stronger in my conviction that leaving Europe is a huge mistake. But where do we go now?鈥�
Feeling European after Brexit
For Britons like Alex Agnew, a university student and campaigner, being in the EU meant being part of a 鈥渟hared cultural identity鈥� that 鈥済enuinely worked to bring down artificial travel and work barriers.鈥� And anti-Brexit journalist Sam Bright says a European identity has helped him to feel a 鈥減art of the struggle to protect and extend liberal democracy, social equality, opportunity, and common welfare.鈥�
鈥淗aving a general sense of cooperation and treating asylum seekers and immigrants with fairness; having a fairer and more just economic system,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 perhaps not quite as radical as people may think, but being European meant supporting these core values.鈥� The rise of populism, he argues, only serves to 鈥渋ncrease people鈥檚 desire to identify as European in Britain.鈥�
Ms. Riekemann has expressed herself by establishing grassroots protest groups and publicly displaying her affection for all things Europe. A yellow-painted owl statue by the name of 鈥楲ibby鈥� (named after the Liberal Democrats, Britain鈥檚 pro-EU political party) sits perched proudly by Ms. Riekemann鈥檚 window. Her anti-Brexit campaign group Bath For Europe created handmade EU-themed berets that quickly became iconic symbols of British Europeanism for protests that attracted a million people into London's streets in 2018. Her anti-Brexit group designed fake anti-Brexit banknotes featuring Boris Johnson, now stored in the British Museum.
Mike Buckley, director of the Labour for Europe group, says Britons will increasingly miss out on chance encounters with European migrants that enrich daily lives. Over 700,000 migrant workers left Britain in 2020, a vast majority of them returning back to Eastern Europe. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all been used to finding Europeans behind the counter at Starbucks. ... [Now] suddenly you鈥檒l get British accents talking at you. We鈥檒l think, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 happened to London?鈥欌��
The pro-European, small-scale media that have rapidly emerged since Brexit are helping to create a community for Britons to maintain a pro-European identity despite the U.K鈥檚 rupture from Brussels. Mr. Bright, who has worked for pro-European British publications Scram News and Byline Times, says pro-European Britons have created an 鈥渋mpetus for new media publications tapping into a desire鈥� to keep Britain European in vision. And in that pursuit, pro-Europeans have caused a 鈥渞ealignment of the media space鈥� dominated by conservative-leaning legacy publications in favor of Brexit.
A path back to Europe?
While Brexit has faded from public discussion this year, pro-European Britons continue to pour their energy into campaigns for a political, and cultural, union to return. Campaign group Stay European gained more than 162,000 members in 2020 with its vision for Britain to apply for associate membership, the closest relationship a country can have to the bloc while remaining outside the EU.
Mr. Agnew, who was too young to vote in 2016, says that while 鈥渢he emotive arguments have been lost鈥� for Britain returning to the European fold, change requires 鈥渂aby steps, such as trying to get facts out in a nonpartisan way鈥� and informing the public about how 鈥渂oring policy鈥� hits people鈥檚 daily lives.
Mr. Buckley says he staunchly believes that young Britons鈥� growing sense of belonging to a pro-European movement will 鈥渋nevitably鈥� lead to the country returning to the EU. 鈥淚f you think gay marriage is fine when you鈥檙e 20, you don鈥檛 hate it when you鈥檙e 50. I think young people鈥檚 pro-Europeanism will stick around as they get older and are more likely to vote.鈥�
Like many others though, he fears there are few, if any, political cheerleaders championing Britons who feel aligned with Europe.
Still, across the English Channel, Liesje Schreinemacher, a Dutch member of the European Parliament, says the centuries old exchange of people and ideas between the U.K. and her native Netherlands is an example of a deep-rooted Europeanness that will never be broken.
鈥淭here will always be cultural ties between the EU and the U.K. I think we will keep that bond strong,鈥� she says. 鈥淪peaking as a Dutch woman, they [Britons] are our neighbors; many of our citizens have connections with the U.K. through family or study or work.
鈥淚 believe it will be good for the U.K. to return to the EU. There鈥檚 a new word: the Breturn!鈥�
