Over 200 people descended on the Belcoo/Blacklion Border on Saturday to show their dismay with the current wrangling and uncertainty over the issue.

There was plenty of colour on display, the colours of Europe that is on banners, posters and the faces of some protestors, on what was meant to be Brexit Day plus one.

The crowd heard from prominent anti-Brexit activist and farmer John Sheridan as well as education and health speakers.

In his speech, Mr. Sheridan said the failure to agree on an Irish backstop was a missed opportunity for Northern Ireland to become an investment hub with a foot in both the UK and the EU, likening the potential to that of Singapore.

“I am thinking of Singapore and Hong Kong, two very small areas of land with a high degree of wealth and employment and of business and what I am saying here is Northern Ireland could have been one of the new hubs of the world and drawn in a lot of foreign investment, where foreign investment could have their foot in both the UK and EU,” explained Mr. Sheridan.

The education and health speakers laid out the problems those sectors will face in the event of the UK leaving the EU to those in attendance before the a mock customs check point was set up to give the people a feel for what may become part of daily life on the Border in the future.

Meanwhile the cold and wet conditions did not dampen the mood at the demonstration at Aghalane.

One message was clear from all speakers and spectators, the community “will not tolerate a return to Borders and infrastructure”.

As the sizeable crowd began to gather there was a wide variety of ages represented from babes in arms to the elderly showing that the fear of a return to hard Borders is not just a concern of the young.

Teemore cousins Tara McBarron (10), Aoife McBarron (13) and Lorna-Rose McBarron (11) huddled together to stay warm while holding placards for the organisation. They told this newspaper that the reason they were protesting was because “We don’t want Theresa May to build a Border”. Spectators came in their numbers from far and wide including one man who travelled from Kells, County Meath to stand with the organisation who was adamant that there should be “no return to travelling along the Border and facing check points” , as he did 25 years ago with his Fermanagh born wife. He said he wants peace for his children “who never knew times of trouble.”

Protestors gathered at the spot where a statue saying ‘Peace for All’ once stood as they waited for the speeches to begin. Speeches were delivered by Father Joe McVeigh of Border Communities Against Brexit , Máirín Martin a local resident, Chris McCaffrey Sinn Féin council candidate for Erne West, and Peter Quinn who represented the business sector of the Border area. Mr. Quinn spoke of the delays that the Border community could face if a hard Border. Representatives from Sinn Féin and Aontú were present at the event holding placards with slogans for their respective parties. The speeches were followed by the protestors walking to the Senator John Mitchell Bridge and crossing the Border into Fermanagh.