North Yorkshire for Europe staged a protest yesterday evening (17 October 2019) outside the Crown Hotel in Harrogate, the location for a book signing by David Cameron.
Richard Sadler, chair of North Yorkshire for Europe, said:
About 30 off us with choir and musicians assemble outside the Crown from 7pm with flags and placards. We were just setting up when Mr Cameron walked into view with a group of three other men in suits, having walked down the hill from stop at Betty’s tea rooms.
As one of us caught sight of them, we began a chant of “Say you’re sorry! Say you’re sorry!” as he walked within a few yards of our group and into the main entrance of the Crown.
The choir then struck up pro EU and anti-Brexit songs, filmed by media including camera crew from ITV Good Morning Britain.
Inside the hall, Mr Cameron was heckled several times by different members of the audience. About half way through his answers to selected written questions, a woman got up and shouted “People in Harrogate expect you to apologise ” then walked out. Shortly afterwards a second heckler was ejected from the room after standing up at the back and shouting out: “Mr Cameron, will you apologise for the mess you’ve made of our country?”.
Earlier a third heckler challenged him over his Goverment’s austerity policies. Mr Cameron did not respond to any of the hecklers. In response to a written question he said if he had a vote he would reluctantly support the Prime Minister’s deal, although he said it had flaws and that he still believed the UK would be better off inside the EU.
At times the debate had to be paused because of the uproar in the room. The hecklers, including some North Yorkshire for Europe supporters, were told to ” shut up and sit down” by some in the audience; others clapped and cheered them.
Richard Sadler, chair of North Yorkshire for Europe, said:
People felt sufficiently strongly over what Mr Cameron has done that they came from all over Yorkshire to join this protest and we’re pleased that we got our message across loud and clear.
Sadly he seemed to be unrepentant over the terrible mess has made of things by calling the unnecessary and ill-thought out referendum on our EU membership.
Poor man such a shame. He came all that way as well.
I’d be interested to hear/ read Cameron’s true take on the campaign and beyond, but I think that bringing his book out now, when there are so many of us who are so, so upset over the thought of leaving the EU at all, in any form, on top of those who voted to leave but don’t like how it’s been handled, leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. At the very least I think he should donate proceeds of his book to a related charity. He’d only need to walk through the streets of Harrogate to see the amount of homeless people, which local peeps know has tragically increased dramatically over the last few years. I’m not saying that’s a direct result of Brexit, but the amount of money currently invested in making it happen (not least in persuading people that it’s a good idea and Just Get Brexit Done) means that homeless people for one are going to be right at the bottom of the pile now. All royalties donated to a town where he speaks, would be a good gesture. And finally, I don’t like the idea of any person being heckled for their beliefs, we are all people after all, but with the amount of brainwashing and fudging of laws going on with Johnson’s ‘campaign’, I think we have no option other than to shout out our pain.
Don’t fool yourselves, you don’t speak for the people of Harrogate. I for one applaud his decision to call a referendum and l eagerly await leaving the EU. You’re anti democratic, you lost the vote, get over it.