Bremain in Spain History

When the results of the referendum were revealed in the early hours of Friday 24 June 2016, Carrie Frais and Deborah Gray, the founders of Bremain in Spain, were in shock. Like many other Remainers based in Spain, and the 48% in the UK who voted to stay in the EU, they went through emotions normally associated with grieving. These included denial, depression, anger and bargaining but never acceptance.

Carrie and Deborah have both been raising their families and running their own businesses in Barcelona for more than 10 years. They both felt completely European and were outraged at the thought of the UK leaving the European Union. In fact, Carrie had taken European Studies at university with the express desire of making a life for herself in Europe.

……. Carrie said. They were so upset at the prospect of freedoms they had enjoyed being taken away from future generations, that they decided to take action. They came up with the idea of creating a Facebook group for people in Spain, who shared the same concerns. Bremain in Spain was a simple concept, with the original objective of drumming up support and lobbying MPs. All members of the Facebook group are Remain supporters, and our group membership continues to grow. The Facebook group is now supported by a Facebook page, and a very active Twitter account.

I became involved initially as a forum member, then as a regular poster, and now as a very active campaigner. With Carrie and Deborah both managing the demands of businesses and young families, I was asked to step in and take the helm, which I did with great pleasure in Sept 2017. As Bremain in Spain has developed, then so have the objectives of the group. Our primary goal is to prevent Brexit from happening and we are actively campaigning to this end. At the same time, we strive to protect the rights of our members here in Spain.

Our primary goal, up until Brexit Day in January 2020, was to prevent Brexit from happening. We have always believed that the UK’s rightful place is at the heart of the European Union, and that the only way to protect all of our existing rights and freedoms was to remain EU members and citizens.

Now Brexit is “done”, we must continue our fight to protect as many of our rights as possible by maintaining close links with our friends and neighbours in Europe.

We will continue to fight for British citizens’ rights in Spain and across Europe. It is vital to limit the damage of Brexit and to maintain strong links with our European partners. The closer the relationship we have when we leave, the easier the reconnection will be when we inevitably re-join in the future! Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long!

Thank you for your continued support and trust and for joining us in our struggle.

Sue Wilson Chair – Bremain in Spain