Welcome to York European

York European City

keeping international

A Zoom talk by Professor A. C. GRAYLING was organised by York for Europe took place on Thursday 14th October, Entitled The U.K. & the EU: How We Will Rejoin

We maintain that the UK, having left the EU, will have its best interests served by retaining a close as possible relationship with the EU, its peoples and its cultures.
This site will serve as a bulletin board, a village pump, and information and interest exchange.

The aim of this site it to keep alive our already close ties with the countries of Europe which, we maintain, were more easily facilitated when the UK was a member of the EU.
We will also share any difficulties that arise from terminating membership and solutions to problems where they exist. Also, we will share advantages of leaving the union should they arise...

See and share what our friends at North East Surrey for Europe are doing.
— They are a gifted dynamic team covering four constituencies

Their colourful mission statement (left) expresses our shared sentiments

The North East Surrey team also have invited a number of distinguished speakers to address topical issues. York for Europe supporters and friends are welcome to join these via the links below.

We will discuss exchanging ideas and resources more at the York For Europe general meeting on Zoom at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 7th December. You will be most welcome to join us - just tell us and we will send you a link - fill in your e mail at the bottom of the page.

York rivers under threat of sewerage pollution - still..

As a result of post Brexit deregulation (which is great for water company profits) sewerage is being discharged into our seas and rivers.
follow this link to read more from the CPRE and what you can do.

On Saturday 13th November some of the York for Europe team met opposite the Cholera remembrance garden near the station to remind passers by. The public support, all ages, was very gratifying. Only two gentlemen disagreed commenting words to the effect that Brexit is working.

PLEASE, NO MORE DROWNINGS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Amnesty York’s installation of the sea with a flotilla of origami boats (folded by Amnesty York, York for Europe and RAY) was displayed in the Minster’s South Piazza by the Roman column on Saturday October 23rd. This was in recognition of the thousands of people who try to cross the Mediterranean each year.

The display was the focus of many passers-by throughout the day. It was also an opportunity to make new Amnesty friends and meet up with established York group members. The Revd Canon Michael Smith joined us to express his support and undertook to remember those who perish in this way at evensong at the Minster.

Of those fleeing their homelands, some seek asylum, some flee poverty. This year, more than 700 (and counting) have drowned.

The stream of people will not stop until the world works together to solve the problems which send them on their journey. In the meantime, Amnesty International is pressing for:

— the creation of safe and legal routes to Europe for asylum-seekers (to put an end to people smuggling) along with a fair asylum assessment procedure.

- the end of the practice by FRONTEX, the EU border force, in cooperation with the Libyan coastguard of forcing people back to holding camps in Libya where they are forgotten, ill-treated and die.

- the end of prosecutions of people and organisations such as Médecins sans Frontières and Save The Children International for saving lives at sea (as is current, for example, in Italy).

* NB There are about 26 million refugees worldwide. In 2020, the UK had 35,770 asylum applications.

Will you join in with York Amnesty Group's wide range of activities and campaigns? Read more....

Photo by YASS member, Barry Male

Sankta Lucia Festival of Light Service at York Minster
The stunning Sankta Lucia Festival of Light service will once again be taking place at York Minster, on Friday 3rd December 2021 at 7.30 pm. This traditional Scandinavian service features a procession led by a female chorister wearing a crown of lit candles.

This year the choir will be the London Nordic Choir, and the event has once again been organised by the York-Anglo-Scandinavian Society. For full details and tickets (available from 26th October), please see the York Minster Website:
Report by Chris Kyriacou, YASS member

What I Love About York EXHIBITION
— York Council to mount this exhibition again — watch this space

See choices and comments from Alnoor Mitha, from Manchester School of Art.....

a York Café

.....transformed by the Art of Protest

Conducting award for York musician, Ewa Salecka

.....awarded a 1st class Degree in Music and Education

the curious tale of.....

.....when York twinned itself with itself.

To find out more / join us / share a comment...
your e mail address will not be published

Please donate to the York for Europe campaign. We are totally self funded and need your support more than ever. Covid has reduced our opportunities to meet people on the street. Please donate here.

Letter from Silvana, old friend of York

living in Milan

Letter from K, an Erasmus student

living in Strasbourg

Letter from Nadia

an old friend of York, now returned to Germany

Life in Japan still challenging

... from a York University Student...

Life in Munich is similar but different

Cath Lodge explains the joys and misgivings

Bergen, Norway Photo by Joran Quinten

Make some Dutch bacon or cheese pancakes

a tasty simple meal

There are many ways to learn languages in York

Which is best for you? Explore these local options.

Make some Curly Kale Stew

a real Dutch Winter Warmer

Bruxelles Pita filling

a delicious meal from our Euro-Gastro-Correspondent

Scandinavians may be missing their tunnbröd

What is it? How to get it..

make Pasta alla Norma

from Sicily, for Montalbano lovers

York highlights climate concerns
Demonstration 12 noon, York Minster Saturday 6th November

COP26 ACTION...
An impassioned but good-natured demonstration met at the Minster Steps at noon on 6th November. A march through the centre of the city followed.
There was a range of speakers - a welcome from a Canon of the Minster, a challenging talk by Rachael Maskell MP, and informative talks by leaders of faith, environmental and refugee groups.
It is understand that nobody flew home from this event in a private jet.....

click this panel to find out more about The Climate Justice Movement.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central:

The negotiation framework in the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement gives us an opportunity to build a strong and creative relationship with the EU and we should work together to now shape that future.
Having a source of information in York is so important for us to look at this from a local perspective.”

Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of the City of York Council, comments:

We may no longer be members of the European Union, but York and the UK will always be part of Europe. Our futures, like our histories, remain inevitably intertwined.
We must make sure we work together with our European partners to support our businesses and residents through what continues to be a very challenging time for us all.”

York for Europe's new trail “York in Europe, Europe in York”

The trail explores York’s European heritage through the markers of 19 European countries in the city - buildings, businesses, communities, individual stories and belongings
- from Italy to Iceland, France to Finland, Portugal to Poland, Sweden to Slovakia and Norway to the Netherlands

What's going on

LINKS - Books & Films

York's Twin Towns
Münster & Dijon

An individual has a right to seek asylum anywhere in the world. In practice it is easier in some places than others....

The EU Rights and Brexit Hub is the first of its kind: a nation-wide, legal action research hub. It is an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, multi-method three-year project investigating how Brexit affects the social rights of EU/EEA nationals in the UK. It is funded by an ESRC large Governance After Brexit Grant.