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Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has hit out at the London People’s March, claiming “we are the majority” at a pro-Brexit rally.
Mr Farage was speaking as he arrived at the start of the latest stage of the March to Leave, which began a week ago in Sunderland and is aiming to end up in London on the original Brexit day of March 29.
He made the comments ahead of Saturday’s demonstration in the capital, calling for there to be a People’s Vote on Brexit. The march, due to start at 1pm, is expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands.
Mr Farage arrived on Saturday morning to be greeted with cheers by around 200 marchers, who had gathered in car park of the Horse and Groom pub in the village of Linby, in Nottinghamshire.
Asked about the March to Leave supporters being outnumbered on Saturday by the Peoples Vote March in London, he pointed to the cheering marchers gathered in a pub car park and said: “There are 17.4 million here, can’t you see them?”
He later told crowds: “Whatever battles we face and have to fight, be confident because we are united. They are in the minority, we are in the majority.”
He also said: “What has happened this week is not only a national humiliation but it is an outright betrayal because Mrs May now tells us we’re not leaving next Friday despite telling us over a hundred times that we would be, despite putting a piece of law in place supported by 500 MPs.
“So there is something going on here that I believe to be one of the saddest chapters in the history of our nation and we will not take this lying down.”
Mr Farage took to the top of a double-decker open-top bus to address the crowds before leading them off on their trek to Beeston, also in Nottinghamshire.
He told the marchers: “What a week it’s been. I was hoping to spend more time with you on the march this week but I’ve been in Brussels watching a British Prime Minister reducing our nation in the eyes of the world to the state of humiliation.
“Worse than that, the gap that’s now opened up between the people and the politicians is such that, despite everything we were told in the referendum, everything we were told in general election manifestos, every promise that was made when 498 MPs voted for article 50 which said we leave on March 29 with or without a deal, the Prime Minister signalled that we will not be leaving this Friday.
“And that means this March to Leave could not be better timed.”
Mr Farage was cheered as he said: “Our message is very clear. If they think they can walk all over us, we’re going to march back and tell them, no you can’t, we will not give in, we will not roll over, we will fight and we know that we will get Brexit whether it’s this Friday or at a later date.
“Whatever battles we face and have to fight, be confident because we are united. They are in the minority, we are in the majority.
“We are going to win this great historic battle and we will become again a self governing, independent, normal country not run by (Jean-Claude) Junker and the gang in Brussels.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
