|
|
Academics at Cardiff University and the University of Edinburgh found that 71 percent of Leave voters in England, 60 percent in Scotland and 70 percent in Wales believe violence toward lawmakers is a “price worth paying” for Brexit.
The poll, conducted by YouGov, yielded similar results among Remain voters, with 58 percent of those in England, 53 percent in Scotland and 56 percent in Wales justifying violence toward MPs as a way to ensure the U.K. remains in the EU.
Richard Wyn Jones, a professor of Welsh politics at Cardiff University and co-director of the survey, said he was “shaken” by the findings.
“It’s hard to not be genuinely shocked — not only by the fact that so many think that violence is a likely consequence of Brexit, but that so many on either side of the Brexit divide seem to think that such events might be ‘worth it’ in order to secure their preferred outcome,” he said.
Cross-party MPs have voiced concerns over increasing levels of abuse and threats from members of the public opposed to their Brexit stance.
According to the findings, voters on both sides of the Brexit debate are also comfortable with the idea of protests in which members of the public are badly injured if that leads to their preferred political outcome becoming a reality. [...]