Brexit protesters take to streets of London

POURING THEIR HEARTS OUT: Thousands gather in London’s Parliament Square to protest against Britain’s vote to leave the EU on Saturday. (AFP)

WELCOMED: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is received by First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh on Saturday. (Reuters)

EDINBURGH: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth told Scottish lawmakers on Saturday that staying calm in a fast-changing world can be difficult.

Speaking as she formally opened the fifth session of Scotland’s devolved Parliament, she made no mention of last week’s vote by Britain to leave the EU, a result which prompted dismay in Scotland and sparked calls for another independence referendum.
Meanwhile, crowds marched through London on Saturday in protest against the vote to leave the EU.
Demonstrators gathered on Park Lane around before making their way toward the Houses of Parliament, in the second show of public anger this week over the shock results of the referendum.
“We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button,” said organizer Keiran MacDermott on the march’s Facebook page.
“Let’s not leave the next generation adrift... Let’s march, let’s protest, and let’s stop Brexit.”
EU leaders have called for a swift divorce, fearful of the impact of Britain’s uncertain future on economic growth and a potential domino effect in euroskeptic member states.
“The decision has been taken, it cannot be delayed and it cannot be canceled,” said French President Francois Hollande Friday, on the sidelines of Battle of the Somme centenary ceremonies.
A speedy Brexit “would avert all the uncertainties and instability, especially in the economic and financial domains,” he said. “The faster it goes, the better it will be for them.”
Last week’s shock vote plunged financial markets into crisis, wiping trillions off equities around the world and sending the pound to its lowest point in more than three decades against the dollar.
Bank of England chief Mark Carney hinted on Thursday he could unleash monetary stimulus this summer, saying that the economic outlook had “deteriorated” since Britain voted to leave the EU.
In further signs of the fallout, the government warned it would likely abandon its promise to achieve a budget surplus by 2020, while no-frills airline EasyJet announced contingency plans to protect its European operations.
The vote to leave the EU was deeply split. Voters in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the capital London backed remaining, while the 52 percent that chose to leave were largely from less affluent areas in England and Wales.
The narrow victory has triggered anger in Britain among those who wanted to remain in the EU and more than four million people have signed a petition calling for a second referendum.