Anti-Brexit protester steals the show on live television
It may well have been a crucial day that could shape the future of the UK for many years to come.
But while Theresa May and her Cabinet were busy thrashing out a Brexit deal, one self-proclaimed ‘idiot on the telly’ took to Parliament Square to make his point.
As a BBC reporter and her interviewee discussed the predicted outcomes of the Brexit agreement discussions, a flamboyantly attired protester hijacked the live segment to proudly display his two wooden signs.
The man appeared to be expertly monitoring the BBC cameraman’s angles, regularly moving to make sure he was in the perfect shot at all times.
One sign declared ‘Save the NHS’ while another said ‘Things have changed it’s time to reassess.’
The defiant protestor has been revealed as 49-year-old Steve Bray. And he admitted he doesn’t care what he looks like if it means getting his anti-Brexit message across to the public.
“Our nation is more important than me looking an idiot on telly, far more important,” Bray said.
A lesson in dogged persistence from this anti-Brexit protestor on BBC News. pic.twitter.com/IYF12bMuiu
— Thomas Colson (@tpgcolson) November 14, 2018
“I do this for my daughter and my grandson. For the future. If Brexit happens, we will be in years of decline,” he added.
And the cat and mouse game he appeared to win with the cameras has clearly paid off, as viewers expressed their delight at his actions on Twitter. One called his actions ‘hilarious’ while another said his office ‘were gripped’ by Bray’s efforts.
A third said “Well done Steve! You deserve a medal for this one day!” and many joked at his ‘inspirational’ moves. “Nevertheless, he persisted” joked one user.
The BBC repeatedly changing cameras to try and keep this #Brexit protestor out of shot is hilarious 😂 pic.twitter.com/KVvuzTyy3Z
— Laurie Hanna (@LaurieHanna) November 14, 2018
Several users also wondered how he knew the camera’s angles so well, but Bray says he was simply paying close attention to the cameraman’s monitor.
“And then they pulled the plug on the monitor once they realised,” he explained.
Bray is the founder of anti-Brexit group Stand of Defiance European Movement and said he is present with his fellow members at Westminster “every day they’re sitting in” Parliament.
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