Bradford for Europe ran another street stall in Hustlergate on Saturday 27th April. It was a very wet day. We had a larger team than last time, and the larger team allowed more engagement. We had a lot of positive response, and a passer by bought us all coffee. We distributed about 500 of the new leaflets, and collected more signatures for the petition. Nonetheless, the team was not as large as we would have liked. We could have achieved more if we had more volunteers.
Bradford for Europe ran a street stall in Hustlergate on Easter Saturday 20th April. It was a beautiful day, but our support was thin on this occasion. About 500 leaflets were distributed nonetheless. About half of these were the new leaflets, with Bradford for Europe contact details.
Bradford for Europe ran a stall in Hustlergate on Saturday 13th April. The stall ran in competition with a meeting with Lord Adonis in Leeds. The neighbouring Leeds, Kirklees and North of Bradford groups all declined to run their stalls, but Bradford for Europe was not so easily discouraged. We had concerns about turnout up until the day, but we need not have worried, and had a good crew on the day. We had about 700 leaflets at the start, and distributed very nearly all of them. We would have distributed them all, but we were all very cold towards the end, and decided to finish a little early.
Bradford for Europe joined another trip to Westminster to support SODEM on Monday 8th April. We challenged Cornwall for Europe to a sing off and the results hit the evening news. Alastair Campbell even joined us on his bagpipes, which you can see in this tweet.
Bradford for Europe ran a stall in Hustlergate on Saturday 6th April. There was a Labour party event in Leeds, and a LibDem event in Ilkley on the same day, and it looked as though we could be short of support. The North of Bradford group then decided not to run their stall, and to support us instead. We had a very good turnout on the day. The weather was good but cold, and we had a very successful day.
Bradford for Europe supported a street stall outside the Richmond Building in Great Horton Road on Wednesday 3rd April from 12 noon. Three people distributed over a thousand leaflets, mostly to students at the university and college, in just over an hour.
Bradford for Europe joined the other Yorkshire groups on another coach visit to Westminster on Monday 1st April, to support Stephen Bray and SODEM. We were filmed by ITN, Sky News, Al Jazeera, ARD German TV, Chinese TV, Ugandan TV, by an Irish TV freelance, broadcast on Radio Five live and in tweets by a Sun Journalist ... and we featured very prominently on Channel 4 News.
Yorkshire flags were very visible everywhere and songs by the Yorkshire Remain voice Choir were immediately adopted by Steve Bray and the SODEM team. There were visits from Rachel Maskell MP, Baron Wallace of Saltaire, Lord Newby and Baroness Harris of Richmond (we would have met more MPs if our coach had not been held up by accident on M1). Letters were sent from Yorkshire groups to "fence sitter" Labour and Tory MPs in our region. Steve Bray and SODEM were delighted with Yorkshire groups' contribution and very keen to use this as platform to bring in other groups (including London ones!)
"From the arrival, singing Ilkley Moor ba t’at with tuba accompaniment and flags flying, this was really good: highly visible and vocal, attracting a lot of attention, at a point when the Commons was sinking into even deeper confusion. I’m glad it made the ITV News, too. One of the comments I hear around the Palace of Westminster is the sharp contrast between the cheerfulness of the anti-Brexit demonstrators and the sour threatening style of the (smaller numbers of) pro-Brexiters. That affects MPs’ and peers’ responses." Lord Wallace.
Here is a clip from ITV News:
https://twitter.com/KirkleesEurope/status/1112798127583526912
Bradford for Europe ran another street stall in Hustlergate, between the Wool Exchange and the Peace Museum, on 30th March. The weather was much better this time, and we found that we had not brought along enough leaflets. It was nonetheless a successful day.
Bradford for Europe supported the People's Vote march from Park Lane to Westminster on the 23rd March. Nineteen coaches filled with protesters departed from Yorkshire, including many from Bradford. and many more went by train or stayed overnight. They were flying the white rose and carrying the banners of the Yorkshire towns. We sang our songs, including our biggest hit "All Brexit deals are crap" to the tune of "On Ilkla Moor baht'at". Here is an article from the Yorkshire Post:
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/thousands-of-yorkshire-protesters-join-people-s-vote-march-1-9669162
On Friday 8th March, several of the Yorkshire for Europe groups took a battle bus on a tour of Yorkshire MPs. They presented a gift of EU fruit and goodies, to thank them for saying they will prevent a No Deal Brexit and for rejecting May’s deal. They encouraged them them to vote the same way again the following week, to vote to extend Article 50 and support a Final Say referendum on the Brexit deal. They delivered a letter addressed to all 54 MPs representing constituencies in Yorkshire and Humber. That letter called on them to remember their duties as elected members – to do what is right for our country - and not simply to follow local opinion.
Bradford for Europe supported an Another Europe is Possible street stall on Saturday 2nd March in Batley, opposite Gregg's on Commercial Street. Kirklees for Europe was about to be officially launched and we used their new stall. We did not have much footfall, but engagement was good. One guy completely changed his opinion and signed our petition and a letter to his MP.
Bradford for Europe members joined a Yorkshire delegation that went by coach to Westminster for another demo with SODEM on College Green, while Parliament voted (again!), on Wednesday 27th February. Here is an article from the Telegraph and Argos:
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/17427073.bradford-pro-europe-supporters-to-march-on-parliament/
Bradford for Europe supported the Brexit Decision Day March & Rally in Leeds in the evening of Thursday 14th February. The march began at City Square proceeding along Boar Lane, Duncan Street, New Market Street, Vicar Lane and the Headrow. The protesters marched for 30 minutes, chanting for a second referendum. They settled in Victoria Gardens in front of Leeds Art Gallery to listen to speeches. The speakers included Natalie Bennett (Green Party) and Emmy van Deurzen (Voices for Europe). Here is an article from the Yorkshire Evening Post:
https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/politics/hundreds-march-through-leeds-in-anti-brexit-protest-as-theresa-may-suffers-another-defeat-in-parliament-1-9596681
Bradford for Europe and the other Yorkshire for Europe groups travelled to Westminster on Wednesday 13th February to support SODEM. Here is an article from the Telegraph & Argos:
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/17427073.bradford-pro-europe-supporters-to-march-on-parliament/
Bradford for Europe supported a Best for Britain street stall on 9th February, at the Tesco Car Park entrance on the Great Horton Road.
Bradford for Europe ran our first street stall with assistance from Leeds for Europe on 2nd February in Hustlergate. The stall was very successful.
Bradford for Europe was launched on Wednesday 30th January at a heavily attended meeting in the Pullman Room at the Midland Hotel.
