Alwaght-Britain's move to leave the European Union in a move dubbed Brexit has polarized the country with Scotland now demanding full independence from London.
The United Kingdom also known as Britain is composed of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with the last three having devolved administrations.
The four regions went different ways during the June 2016 Brexit referendum, with majorities in England and Wales voting to leave the EU while the majorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain. This very divisive outcome has led to both Scotland and Northern Ireland demanding a re-evaluation of with the two other components of the UK.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the formal, two-year process of negotiations that will lead to Britain leaving the EU by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Scotland demands independence referendum
Hours before May officially initiated the arduous divorce from the EU, Scotland’s Parliament on Tuesday voted to demand a new referendum on Scottish independence. By a vote of 69 to 59, members of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh approved plans to request a referendum on independence that could take place just before Britain completes its withdrawal from the European Union. Nicola Sturgeon the First Minister of Scotland has said the triggering of article 50 by May is a sad day in the history of Britain, and the European continent as a whole. She noted that in Scotland alone, Brexit could cost the economy more than £11bn a year by 2030, and is predicted to lead to 80,000 job losses over the next decade. She added that those effects can be multiplied significantly for the UK as a whole. Condemning May's determination to block Scottish independence vote, Sturgeon has said for a prime minister who on Wednesday proclaimed Brexit as an exercise in self-determination to now seek to block Scotland’s own right to self-determination would be democratically indefensible.
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Northern Ireland slams undemocratic London
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill has said the party is "building momentum" to ensure designated special status within the EU as the Brexit process has been triggered. Speaking on Wednesday Michelle O'Neill said: "The Tory government don't have mandate here and they are dragging people of the north out of the EU against the democratically expressed wishes in a democratic vote. Michelle O'Neill lead fellow Sinn Fein MLAs in a protest held by Border Communities against Brexit at Stormont on Wednesday afternoon. Northern Ireland is about to become the frontline in the Brexit battle, as the only part of the UK to share a land border with another EU country, the Republic of Ireland.
Anti-Brexit protests in London
In London itself, over the last few days many citizens have protested the government's move to exit the European Union and demanded a second referendum to allow British voters to decide on the terms and with full understanding of what an exit from the EU would entail. Protesters chanted ‘no borders, no barriers, no Brexit’ as they marched through London.
Brexit triggers hate crimes across UK
Meanwhile, hates crimes across Britain have reached record levels following the controversial vote to exit the EU. According to a February report by Britain's Press Association the number of reported hate crimes for the July to September quarter rose from 10,793 in 2015 to 14,295 for the same period last year. The campaign to leave the EU was slammed for its substantial anti-immigration rhetoric, and the issue of immigration was crucial in the decision to leave the bloc. Nigel Farage, the then leader of the extremist anti-EU UK Independence party (UKIP), unveiled a poster featuring a queue of hundreds of refugees entering Europe with the caption "Breaking Point." Muslims have borne the brunt of the new wave of hate crimes in Britain.
EU's future uncertain
Britain's exit from the EU could have a domino effect with far-right politicians in countries such as France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Hungary signaling readiness to dump the union. France's extremist far-right Front National leader Marine Le Pen has pledged to hold a national referendum on exiting the EU if she emerges victorious in April's presidential elections.
