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1000s of UK citizens sign petition to cancel EU referendum

Saturday, 18 June 2016 4:55 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 18 June 2016 4:55 PM ]

A 'Vote Leave' sign is seen by the roadside urging people to vote for Brexit in the upcoming EU referendum near Charing south east of London on June 16, 2016. ©AFP

Thousands of Britons have signed a petition to cancel the upcoming referendum on the UK’s membership in the European Union in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.

About 27,000 people have signed the petition on the Parliament website as of Saturday. The statement asked the British government to call off the vote due to be held on June 23.

The call came as campaigning for the referendum was suspended by both sides following the murder of the 41-year-old MP who was part of the “Remain” camp.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also pulled out of a planned rally in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern end of Spain and disputed between London and Madrid in the westernmost point of the Mediterranean Sea.

The "Stronger in Europe" camp, which campaigns in favor of the UK's continued membership of the EU, said it was "suspending all campaigning" for Thursday and Friday, while a spokesperson for the rival "Vote Leave" group, an organization that campaigns for Britain to leave the EU, said their "battle bus" was returning to their headquarters.

As the petition has over 10,000 signatures, the government is obliged to release an official response to it.

A boat flying a large "In" flag, campaigning to remain in the EU in the upcoming referendum sails on the river Thames in London on June 15, 2016. ©AFP

The online campaign has received majority of its signatures over the past few days. It is anticipated to hit 100,000 signatures before the voting day and this could trigger a debate in the Parliament.

There were last minute changes to the deadline to register to vote in the referendum. Government officials extended the deadline by a further 48 hours.

The campaign came as opinion polls suggested that the “Leave” camp was leading before the killing of the Labour MP.

Cox was shot and stabbed outside a library in Birstall in northern England on Thursday.

Her attacker is reported to have shouted "put Britain first" at least twice. A 52-year-old man, named locally as Tommy Mair, has been arrested.

According to British media, Mair may have had extreme right-wing leanings. "Britain First" is the name of a far-right anti-immigration group.

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