Reactions to Britain's vote to leave the European Union

Reactions to Britain's vote to leave the European Union

June 24, 2016
Reactions to Britain's vote to leave the European Union
Reactions to Britain's vote to leave the European Union

"Damn! A bad day for Europe." — Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister, on Twitter.
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"I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers the country to its next destination." — British Prime Minister David Cameron, announcing his intention to resign.
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"The dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom. Let June 23 go down in our history as our independence day!" — Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party.
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"It's true that the past years have been the most difficult ones in the history of our Union. But I always remember what my father used to tell me: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." — EU President Donald Tusk, speaking to reporters in Brussels.
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"The European Union is strong enough to give the right answers to today." — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in Berlin.
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"A victory for freedom. We now need the same referendum in France and in EU nations." — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
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"The British referendum will either serve as a wake-up call for the sleepwalker heading toward the void, or it will be the beginning of a very dangerous and slippery course for our peoples." — Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
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"Huge numbers of people in the EU reject the EU's immigration policy, there's big disappointment with the economic policy." — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
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Britain's decision "is not the end of the world and above all not the end of the European Union." — Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, on Facebook.
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"The British people defeated the political elite in Brussels and in London and now they are in charge again. Now it is our turn." — Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders.
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"I think an independence referendum is now highly likely, but I also think it's important that we take time to consider all steps." — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
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"We must do everything to avoid the domino effect, a situation when other member nations also say that they don't want to be in the European Union any longer." — Polish President Andrzej Duda, speaking in Krakow.
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"Today the European flag is at half-mast, but sometimes it is necessary to take a step back before taking a step forward." — Pedro Agramunt, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, speaking in Strasbourg.
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"What matters now is that we keep Europe together." — German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking in Luxembourg.
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"I can only give a sigh: So it's done. This is bad news for Europe, bad news for Poland. It means instability of the situation in Britain now." — Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski.
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"The people of the United Kingdom ... have declared their independence from the European Union, and have voted to reassert control over their own politics, borders and economy." — Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican U.S. presidential nominee, on Facebook.
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"We urge the authorities in the U.K. and Europe to work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition to a new economic relationship." — Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.


June 24, 2016
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