When did you first attend the SODEM protest outside Parliament and why did you come? 

I’m not sure when was the first time I came.  The first record I can find is from late October 2018.  I came because I needed a way to demonstrate physically, to show my opposition to what was happening visibly.  SODEM was a reliable, visible reminder that what was happening was wrong and that there were people who knew that.  

Roughly how old are you?

54

How frequently did you come and when was the last time you attended?

Maybe 10 times in total.  I came whenever I was in London.

How far from Westminster do you live and what was your travelling time?

I live in Belgium so SODEM meant getting the Eurostar.

What’s your favourite memory?

Lots of things stand out, but the uplifting sight of the flags as you walked from the tube station entrance towards College Green is the one that comes to mind right now

Tell me your story

I’m a translator and interpreter.  I’ve lived in several EU countries and I believed in the EU project as the best way to keep the peace in Europe.  Since I was living in Brussels, often working for the EU institutions and seeing things from the inside, I knew that the Brexiters were lying and I realised immediately that if they got their way it would hit me and most of my friends and colleagues badly, whether they were in Brussels or back home.  I also knew Brexit was not in Britain’s interest.  

I got involved in the anti-Brexit movement through Vote for Europe when I saw the first ‘flags at the Proms’ action.  That was when I realised that others were taking actions to reject Brexit.  Then I gradually found out about others, went to the Vigil, made contact with EU Elvis and eventually set up a letter-writing group to write letters to the Lords.  I had an answer from Lord Newby of the Lib Dems and arranged to go and see him.  

I went to all the big marches, including the early Leeds and Manchester marches and set up facebook groups for Sheffield, where I’d lived before moving to Brussels.  So, basically, I did everything I could think of to try to bring about a change of direction.

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