At the start of Friday afternoon, The Barking Dog pub is always full. In the fumes of beer and grilled sausage, customers wander between the slot machines, finish their lunch or start a pint.

Leaning on the counter, Wayne and Richard discuss in a loud voice, in cockney, the slang of the "working class" (working class) of the east districts of London. At the mention of Brexit, a week before the effective date of exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), the two strong fellows tattooed raise their eyes to the sky. "Ah, Brexit! There is enough. One thing is certain, it will not change anything for guys like us, who work every day for peanuts."

The "Eastern Europeans " , designated scapegoats

Located in the east of London, not far from the Thames, the popular Barking district is one of the most disadvantaged in the capital: 7.2% of its 212,000 inhabitants are unemployed, compared to a national average of 3, 9%, and a third of the inhabitants earn less than the London minimum wage.

In the 2016 referendum on the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, Barking, however with a labor-sensitive attitude (left), is one of the only districts to have voted in majority "leave", at 62.4%. "We thought it would improve our lives, that it would stop the Eastern Europeans, who are more and more numerous to come here. Many of them are beggars, thieves, they don't speak English. would feel safer without them! "exclaims Richard.

Animosity towards the "Eastern Europeans", especially the Poles, the country's first foreign community, but also Romanians and Bulgarians, members of the European Union, was one of the main fuels for the victory of the "leave" in 2016. Wayne, who works in the building industry with a lot of Poles, rebuffs his sidekick and says he has come back from preconceived ideas. "It is too easy to say that they are taking our work from us, that they are the cause of our problems. I do not think there is less security because of them. And anyway, considering the agreements with the EU, all those who are here will not leave after Brexit. If we were so many to vote 'leave', it is mainly out of naivety. We did not think about it. " He said he regretted his vote, fearing the divisions to come, especially with Scotland, whose Brexit revives the desire for independence, and Ireland, which shares a land border with the United Kingdom. "Our two islands should be united, that's our story."

"Europe is freedom"

A hundred meters from the pub, the Barking market offers a completely different atmosphere. The diversity of faces, languages ​​spoken and goods sold on the stalls testifies to the very strong cosmopolitanism of the district. Nadim, a shoe salesman who arrived from India when he was a child, is not at ease. "Brexit is bad for my business. I buy a lot of my goods on the continent, and many of my customers are Europeans." He who voted "remain" in 2016, however admits to understanding the results of the referendum in his gangrené district, according to him, by "delinquency from Eastern Europe".

Just behind his stall, Claudio and Dimitru pout by munching on sunflower seeds. Recently arrived from Romania, they prefer to ignore the animosity of a part of the district towards them. "Many people have come here to find work, from Africa, Asia. Wages are better here. We are no different. But if we have to leave after Brexit, we will leave. Europe, c is freedom. "

The feeling of being eternally left behind

The head of the council, the main political authority in the neighborhood, Labor Darren Rodwell, declared, in early 2019, to have "always been of the opinion that most people had voted [in the referendum] not on the question of Europe, but because of what was going on in their lives. There was a perception of injustice. "

Because, in this district, the locals tend to trust their local leaders. As proof, Barking was again an exception in the legislative elections of December 2019, by re-electing Labor MP Dame Margaret Hodge with 61.2% of the vote, while the rest of the country saw the Conservative and pro-Brexit party of Boris Johson round up Labor in many popular and disadvantaged areas.

But, according to Darren Rodwell, the problem stems from the lack of direct dialogue between politicians and the public, rooted in the feeling of being eternally left behind. "The main criticism I have of the referendum is that both the pro-Brexit and the anti have lied to my community." The municipal authorities intend to open up the neighborhood with a development project on the banks of the Thames: 35,000 residences must be built on lower rents than in the rest of the capital, supposed to attract other Londoners, as well as restaurants , a promenade and a marina, all accompanied by a promise of 10,000 jobs.

Installed behind the town hall with a group of friends, Zach, 30, of Somali origin, yet remains deaf to the promises of better days. "For me, Brexit took place because the country was broke. Politicians do their business in their corner but, for us, it will only get worse and worse, regardless of the party in power. I am sure that the rents will go up with this urban project, and we will have to pay the health system, the school. When people wake up and understand what they voted for, I guarantee that they will all regret it. "

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