Battle of the Thames: Bob Geldof and Nigel Farage make waves with water-borne Brexit skirmish
The battle over whether or not Britain should stay in the European Union spilled from the airwaves to the River Thames on Wednesday.
In one of the more surreal moments in the campaign for the June 23 referendum, fishermen who had organised a flotilla on the London river to protest EU fishing policies fired water hoses at dinghies full of rival “Remain” campaigners, who crashed the fishermen’s “Leave” flotilla as it travelled up the Thames to the Houses of Parliament.
As if that weren’t enough, rock star philanthropist Bob Geldof sidled up to the boat carrying noted “leave” campaigner Nigel Farage and started haranguing him.
The incidents — described by police as good natured — underscore how complex the campaign has become as Britain prepares to go to the polls on June 23. The reach of the EU into every aspect of life has meant that all sorts of groups — from scientists to CEOs — have registered an opinion on whether to stay or go.
Rolls-Royce became the latest big business to register a view, arguing that Britain should stay in a letter to its 23,000 employees in the UK. The engineering company warned that a British exit, or Brexit, would be bad for business amid uncertainty about the future.