The Biggest Risk Brexit Poses Is That Britain Will Lose Itself In the Process
Among all the hostile rhetoric and debates about immigration, many British people have forgotten the losses they themselves will endure in a post-Brexit world
On 10 October of this year, the European Parliament hosted a presentation of two books, “In Limbo” and “In Limbo Too”, which contain hundreds of testimonies detailing the harrowing impact of Brexit on both European nationals in the UK and British citizens living in EU27 states. I had the great privilege, alongside fifteen other people, to read one of these stories to a room where many were shocked by the gravity of the situation. While Brexit may not have happened yet, the hostile environment which has been fostered alongside the government’s reluctance to secure the rights of both groups has already left its scars — from erroneous deportation letters, to xenophobic attacks, and difficulties obtaining permanent residence. These wounds have dug their way down to the youngest of citizens; the poem I read, of a twelve-year-old Italian boy whose family decided to leave England, concludes with these poignant words: “when the result came in, I realised I had to leave the life I loved behind”.
