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THE BRITISH FLAG has been removed from its flagpole outside the European Parliament and replaced with the flag of the EU.
The Union flag was removed at exactly 8pm by parliamentary staff, watched by crowds of journalists and British expats. A European flag was raised in its place.
At the clocks strike 11:00 pm — midnight in Brussels — Britain becomes the first country to leave the 28-member bloc and will go it alone for the first time since 1973.
Dozens of people had gathered on the pavement outside the parliamentary building from dusk to witness the last symbol of Britain’s membership of the EU be taken away.
A group of newly redundant assistants to the UK’s MEPs attended sporting their commemorative UK/EU scarves.
There was a small cheer as the lowering mechanism got briefly stuck, with one onlooker joking: “It means you have to Remain.”
The flag is due to be placed in the House of European History in Brussels, a spokesman for the European Parliament said.
Earlier today, British flags were removed from the foyer of the parliament and from inside the European Council.
EU Council Press / Twitter
EU Council Press / Twitter / Twitter
Tonight meanwhile in the UK, both Remainers and Leavers are marking the exit with a series of events.
Brexiteers will gather for a party in Parliament Square led by Nigel Farage, while Union flags are already flying around Westminster.
In official events, Downing Street will be illuminated with a light show while a new commemorative 50p coin is entering circulation.
Prime Minister Johnson will spend the evening in Number 10 hosting a celebratory reception for senior ministers, officials, and supporters of the 2016 referendum campaign to leave the EU.
While Nigel Farage will lead festivities at a rally in central London tonight, pro-EU groups are set to hold a candlelit vigil down the road in Westminster this evening.
In Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum, candlelit vigils are planned.
The Leave a Light On gatherings are taking place in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, and Stirling, among other locations, and participants intend to send a message to the EU to keep open a place for Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit was staging a series of protests near the border in Armagh.
European reaction
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Britain’s departure a “sea-change” for the bloc, although nothing will immediately feel different because of an 11-month transition period negotiated as part of an EU-UK exit deal ratified this week.
French president Emmanuel Macron has taken a thinly veiled swipe at Boris Johnson by claiming the Brexit campaign was “based on lies”.
Macron said Brexit was an “alarm signal” which should be heard across the EU.
The French president said: “At midnight, for the first time in 70 years, a country will leave the European Union.
“It is a historic alarm signal that must be heard in each of our countries.”
President Macron said France had always respected the decision taken by the British people in the 2016 referendum.
But he restated his belief that much the referendum campaign was “based on lies, exaggerations, simplifications, cheques that were promised and will never be delivered”.
- With reporting by © – AFP 2019
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Take yourself and your flag and leave
@John O Neill: From the North aswell, please.
@Ciarán: Nah they can keep the North, horrible, grim place, full of bigots and neanderthals.
@Aging Lothario: 100%
@John O Neill: draggingScotland out its not right and it sicken me to see it
@Aging Lothario: Except half of them are your fellow Irish brothers and sisters trapped in that sectarian state. How about a thought for them.
@Matthew O’Kane: As of 10pm the EU flag stills flies over the Scottish parliament as voted for by their devolved parliament. Fun times ahead.
@Aging Lothario: Typical ignorant comment. I’m a southerner living in the North and I can tell you that half of the population your calling bigots are more Irish than half the people down south. They speak the lrish language and are fiercely proud of who they are. They have had to fight tooth and nail for what we take for granted in the south. Nobody questions your authenticity when you live in the free state. Its comments like yours that dump all over our history. Keep them? Do you realise how many people your insulting including my children. Absolute tool.
@Mike Murray: well said im often up north and love it have friends from both communities and am proud call them friends ignore them we aint all so moranic in south
Britain: “Wahoo! We leave the EU at midnight January 31st. No more EU stipulations. We won’t have to listen to Brussels anymore!!”
Brussels: “Your midnight is 1am here. You’ll have to leave 11pm your time.”
Britain: “Oh sorry, yes of course. Wahoo! We leave the EU at 11pm January 31st. No more EU stipulations. We won’t have to listen to Brussels anymore!!”
Brussels:
@Paul Furey: give it five years and ye will be crawling back
@Paul Furey: Brilliant! :D
Goodbye and good riddance.
@Pat Casey: Scotland wanted to stay in they voted to stay in how can you say that to those people?
@Matthew O’Kane: so did the north
@Matthew O’Kane: Remember 1707. One day it will make ye all regret perhaps?
I don’t agree with Macron on most things but he is 100% correct on this.
@David Stapleton: macron isgarbage vulturefund hes wrong the Scottish should stay they want to stay itsnot right makes mesick
@David Stapleton: I was thinking the exact same thing!
Close the door on the way out
So the Brits will have only themselves to blame now in future. So I assume in a few weeks then immigration, the NHS etc.. will all be running absolutely smoothly, everything will be within budget etc… They couldn’t even get a clock to chime for midnight FFS. Best of luck lads, you’ll need it.
@Dave.: tell us Dave about housing affordability in EU Ireland..
@Valthebear: You tell me about it?
@Dave.: point that you so obviously fail to understand is that people in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones
@Dave.: sure they have 350 million a week now for the NHS…
@Valthebear: Seriously not with you too be honest. Dunno how you can compare an incompetent Minister to a country leaving the EU.
Wonder if Nigel & his EU crew will keep their EU pensions? or does he not detest that part of the establishment?
@Rodger 6: so what?
British ex Pat’s do you mean British immigrants?
@Dave Byrne: no they would be emmigrants
@john doe: depends what perspective you are writing it from
“British Immigrants in Brussels” would be fine
The only sad thing about this is that Jo Cox lost her life because of Brexit and a radicalized Brexit nut job while the radicalisers have a nice party for themselves in halls of power without an ounce shame.
The empire is finished, no foreign lands to seize.
@Daniel Roche: And the greedy eyes of England are turning towards the seas
Can we get Duty free now !!!!
@MrMagoo: ooh. Interesting. Can we?
@MrMagoo:Yes duty free is back from next year but only between ireland and mainland uk No cheap duty free accross the border .
@Robert Preston: What do you mean by ‘mainland uk’ do you mean that other island?
As an English person with Irish parents it is sad to see Britain leaving the European union, but that is democracy at the end of the day.
Be useful for a few pairs underpants the brexiteers are so fond of wearing on the beaches of Shagaluf
@Loretta stiletto: care to regale us with any more racist remarks about a particular nation?
@Valthebear: yeah they like to hang the union jack from their balconies too. How is that racist?? just stating a fact coming from someone who was born in the UK and lived there.
@Valthebear: this comment may be slightly xenophobic. I don’t see any racism though.
@Darren Doyle McCormack: not that either. My god I’m just stating what they do with their flag.
@Loretta stiletto: doesn’t make your comment any less nauseating, attempting to demean and dehumanise a certain group of people who don’t happen to share your mindset.
@Loretta stiletto: I wasn’t, in any way, attacking you. I was pointing out that he was using the wrong term to describe what he thought you were doing lol
@Darren Doyle McCormack: he’s just trying to stir it up. maybe he wears tricolour boxers himself
I wish the EU said to Britain. Don’t beg us to come back when you realise you made a huge mistake
So Brexit is only going to be for an hour? What was all the fuss about then?
@COYBIG: just wait until the ar$e falls off the economy – that’s what all the fuss is about
Donedeal.
Sad spectacle. On the bright side, there are new member countries who would be delighted to join the EU. I look forward to that. I’m sure whoever is eligible will be welcomed with a bigger turnout.
Think about it This is the 1st time in our history of our land that we are totally broken away from Britain …Horry xxFreedom
@Angela Godfrey Maher: silly
@Angela Godfrey Maher: Except the occupied 6 of course
@Ro-your-nan: Wrong
@Ro-your-nan: Sorry meant for Angela
Great, as I am sick and tired listening to them moaning good riddance, and duty free is back . Oh it’s an ill wind etc etc.
I’m guessing PA Media (authors of this article) are a British media company.
Because only the British refer to their own emigrants as ‘expats’.
The irony of British immigrants in Brussels going to celebrate the flag being lowered is just too much.
Ireland will eventually have to follow our nearest neighbour
@Michael Maher: Off a cliff? No thanks.
@Michael Maher: i agree
If scotlland gain independence the union flag will have to be chsnged as scotlland represented on it ,anyone want go into business me make and sell new jacks in north make a ton lol
The Euro fell to 84 cents against sterling today what am I missing.
Goodluck and good bye
Now let’s get it lowered in the north of our country once and for all!!!!!
I remember working for a company run by a megalomaniac a tyrant of sorts.
The atmosphere was toxic I was infected by the toxicity and felt a change would be good. That change came in the form of new management and I thought nothing could be worse then before.
I was wrong,
The old saying rings through. Be carful what you wish for.
To that end,
I think for Europe an absent UK is sad, but for a Divided UK absent of Europe is more sad.
The irony of history, the British changed the course of history by sheer luck and determination make no mistake luck was very much on there side.
They helped reshape Europe, and repel Fascism, Europe is by no means free of its political problems and far right ideology’s. I hope one day Europe will be More European Than nationalistic, however nations and cultures are as individual as eye colour.
I’m not a fan of the British system but like the majority of the British people I’ve met in my lifetime. A British system which caused so much pain and suffering breaking nationalism across its colonies.
However our histories are what binds us, good, bad, & indifference. Ireland has been treated as subservient in the British Subjects mind since those days of colonialism.
Briton has been active and successful writing It’s own version of history, a kind of propaganda propagated at the highest levels.
A history of untruths, a doctrine thought to its children for decades. This doctrine is now the destabilising force which will leave its people bitter and angry for decades to come.
I really hope the British eventually find there way back to being an inclusive society soon.
Best of luck to you all.
@EVOLUTION HYGIENE SALES: i. Think the uk are in a strong position 85 % of the worlds trade is outside the EU and now without the EU restraints they can be more competetive in a wider market but time will tell
@Mark Dawson: I’m confused by this. Are you saying that the EU only accounts for 15% of trade in the world?
It is the first sovereign state to leave the bloc, not the first country. The first country to leave the bloc was Greenland. Although part of the Danish Realm, Greenland is a country, though not a sovereign state.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: its a sovereign state of denmark yes tech a country personally i say a principality
EU: Knock Knock. UK: Who’s there?
EU: Europe. UK: Europe who? EU: No you’re a poo.
@Paraic: ha
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