“Scotland will always be European”: EU nationals’ plea to the EU
A PETITION has been set up by EU Citizens for an Independent Scotland, calling on the EU to listen to their concerns about leaving the EU, and urging understanding of Scotland’s pro-EU position.
The petition, for EU nationals living in Scotland, is described as an “open letter”, and is being translated into all EU languages. Almost 300 people have signed the petition so far.
Despite the understandable need for “political sensitivity”, the letter says, the signatories are calling on the EU to listen to their “concern for the future relationship of Scotland and the EU”, and for what this means for their rights and futures in Scotland.
“We feel rejected by the UK, whose government has stripped us of any sense of security over our rights.” EU Citizens for an Independent Scotland
The petition asks the EU to consider the position in which Scotland finds itself, “potentially unable to protect the democratically expressed wishes of its electorate”, and explains that the signatories have been “heartbroken by the Brexit vote”.
The petition goes on: “We feel rejected by the UK, whose government has stripped us of any sense of security over our rights, homes, jobs, and most importantly, our families and futures.”
The letter explains how the EU Withdrawal Bill, the leaked policy proposal on curbing freedom of movement, and mistaken deportation letters have led to a feeling of “distress and anxiety” among EU nationals.
“Listen to our fellow EU citizens who know as we do that Scotland is, and will always be, European.” EU Citizens for an Independent Scotland
In contrast, the letter puts forward a positive image of the experience in Scotland, where 62 per cent of voters opted to remain in the EU, and the rights of EU nationals have received cross-party support in parliament. The letter cites the reassurance from the Scottish government that EU nationals are welcome in Scotland, and the decision to allow EU nationals the continued right to vote are cited as positive examples of Scotland’s attitude to EU nationals.
This is why, the letter explains, people “across dozens of nationalities, European and more” are supporting Scottish independence. “It is our hope, and the hope of many Scots, that we may yet see an independent Scotland take its own seats in the European Parliament,” the letter says.
Finally, the letter urges the EU to “listen to our fellow EU citizens, in Scotland and across Europe, who know as we do that Scotland is, and will always be, European”.
EU Citizens for Indy is a collective of EU nationals in Scotland which supports independence as “the only way to maintain Scotland’s close relationship with the EU”.
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