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A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 7 February 2019

EU chief ponders ‘special place in hell’ for some Brexiteers

By LORNE COOK checks along the Irish bor-
JILL LAWLESS der until a permanent new
Associated Press trading relationship is in
BRUSSELS (AP) — European place.
Council President Donald The border area was a
Tusk took a swipe Wednes- flashpoint during decades
day at some Brexit-backers of conflict in Northern Ire-
in Britain, wondering aloud land, and the free flow of
what “special place in hell” people and goods across
might be reserved for those the frontier underpins the
who had no idea how to peace agreement of 1998.
deliver the country’s exit But many pro-Brexit British
from the European Union. lawmakers fear the back-
With less than two months stop will trap Britain in regu-
to go until Britain is due to latory lockstep with the EU,
leave the EU and concern while May’s political allies
mounting about a poten- in Northern Ireland’s Demo-
tially chaotic departure, cratic Unionist Party say it
Tusk, who chairs meetings imposes barriers between
of EU leaders, also ap- Northern Ireland and the
peared to dash any British rest of the U.K.
hopes that the bloc would In search of elusive uni-
reopen discussions over the ty, May met Wednesday
Brexit deal that was over- with the DUP, which in-
whelmingly rejected by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, left, shakes hands with European Council President Donald Tusk sists the backstop must be
U.K. lawmakers last month. before their talks at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. scrapped, and with other
“I have been wondering Associated Press Northern Ireland parties
what a special place in maniac ... doing his best to negotiations. leave on March 29. Labour who insist it must stay.
hell looks like for those who keep the United Kingdom It might be a fruitless visit. Party foreign policy spokes- There was little sign that any
promoted Brexit without bound by the chains of EU “The EU 27 is not mak- woman Emily Thornberry compromises were in sight.
even a sketch of plan how bureaucracy and control.” ing any new offer,” Tusk said such a postponement “The prime minister has
to carry it out safely,” Tusk And former U.K. Indepen- said Wednesday. Euro- would allow “time to see come here empty-handed,
told reporters after talks dence Party leader Nigel pean Commission Presi- whether the negotiations with the same old rhetoric,
with Irish Prime Minister Leo Farage tweeted: “After dent Jean-Claude Juncker succeed or, if they do not, with no plan, no credibil-
Varadkar. Brexit we will be free of un- agreed, saying the bloc “is to pursue a different plan.” ity, frankly no honor,” said
As the men shook hands, elected, arrogant bullies not prepared to reopen “We have a government Mary Lou McDonald, presi-
Varadkar told Tusk “they like you and run our own the issue.” treading water in the Niag- dent of the Irish nationalist
will give you terrible trouble country. Sounds more like Tusk and Varadkar said EU ara River while the current party Sinn Fein.
in the British press” over the heaven to me.” nations were intensifying is taking us over the falls,” McDonald said the back-
comments — which, as Britain is scheduled to their preparations for a ‘no- she told lawmakers in the stop “is the bottom line” for
predicted, drew outrage leave the EU on March 29 deal’ British exit — a possi- House of Commons. keeping the border open.
from British Brexiteers. — the first time a country bly disastrous development Britain’s Parliament voted The EU, which has long re-
House of Commons Leader has ever done so. British that could inflict heavy down May’s Brexit deal last garded the Irish border as
Andrea Leadsom, a pro- Prime Minister Theresa May economic and political month, largely because of the thorniest issue in Brexit
Brexit Conservative, said is due in Brussels on Thurs- damage in the U.K. and the concerns about a provision talks, is also adamant that
Tusk’s remark was “pretty day with what she says is EU alike. for the border between the the backstop can’t be re-
unacceptable and pretty a parliamentary mandate “A sense of responsibility U.K.’s Northern Ireland and moved. Tusk’s appearance
disgraceful. ... it totally de- to re-open the withdrawal also tells us to prepare for a EU member Ireland. The alongside Varadkar was
means him.” agreement, sealed be- possible fiasco,” Tusk said. mechanism, known as the the latest signal that the
Sammy Wilson of North- tween the EU and her Con- May’s opponents, mean- backstop, is a safeguard bloc will not abandon Ire-
ern Ireland’s Democratic servative government in while, urged the govern- that would keep the U.K. land, which fears both the
Unionist Party tweeted that November after 18 months ment to delay Brexit, say- in a customs union with the economic and political im-
Tusk was a “devilish euro of intense, highly technical ing Britain is unprepared to EU to remove the need for pact of a hard border. q

UK protesters spared jail over bid to

stop deportation plane

Associated Press 2017, then used expand- breaching aviation security
LONDON (AP) — Fifteen pro- ing foam, scaffolding poles law after a prosecutor said
testers who locked them- and lock-box devices to they had put the “safety of
selves together around a secure themselves to the the airport in a likelihood of
plane at London’s Stanst- wheel and wing of a Boe- danger.”
ed Airport to stop migrants ing 767. The plane had Judge Christopher Morgan
from being deported were been chartered by the told the group Wednesday
spared prison sentences on government to repatri- that there could have been
Wednesday. ate passengers to Nigeria, “catastrophic effects” if
Lyndsay Burtonshaw, center, one of the ‘Stansted 15’ talks to The demonstrators cut Ghana and Sierra Leone. any debris had been left
the media outside Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex, England,
Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. through the airport’s pe- The 15 activists were found on the runway from the
Associated Press rimeter fence on March 28, guilty in December of March 2017 protest.q