After Brexit, Romania is offering to 'adopt a Brit'

A Romanian newspaper has launched a "Romanians for Remanians" campaign offering homes for Britons who want to leave after Brexit. Photo / AP

For Britons who hope to remain part of the European Union, such a possibility looks distinctly bleak, given the many hurdles standing in the way.

But the disgruntled 48 per cent of Britons who had voted to remain part of the EU are getting sympathy and a strange offer from an unexpected quarter: Romanians.

This week, the Romanian newspaper Gandul launched an online campaign called "Romanians for Remanians" that invites heartbroken Britons to live in Romania.

On its website, the campaign offers to pair a Briton who voted to remain part of the EU with a Romanian family that has offered to "adopt" them. The website is split in half - Romanians sign up on the left and Britons sign up on the right.

On the website, a message for Romanians reads:

"Fellow Romanians, the good people who voted Remain and share European values deserve to be our relatives. Let's all volunteer so that each Remainian is adopted by a Romanian."

The campaign also has a message for British users:

"Dear Brits who believe in a united Europe, leave the Brexiters, the quarrelling and the weather behind. Start a brand new life in a loving Romanian family."

Users then click on either the "adopt" or "get adopted" option. Later, the campaign uses the Britons' Facebook account to connect them with their Romanian adopters. It even allows the British users to view their mock Romanian identity cards.

Using humour, this campaign highlights important issues facing the region and makes a statement about the intolerance and racial attacks faced by Britain's immigrant population after last week's referendum on whether Britain should exit the EU.

Since Britain's vote to leave the bloc, there has been a rise in incidents targeting immigrant groups, primarily those from Eastern Europe: In west London, the words "Go home" were sprayed on the Polish Social and Cultural Association building.

Romanians also have been a target of anti-immigrant sentiments. After Romania entered the EU in 2007, many Romanians came to Britain to work. According to local media, between 2014 and 2015, more than 152,000 Romanians were registered for National Insurance numbers, allowing them to work in Britain. Although experts argued that the influx had been beneficial to Britain's economy, the immigrant arrivals sparked dismay and anger in several local communities.

Since the Brexit vote, pro-immigrant voices have used humour as a tool against intolerance. "Thousands of British refugees make dangerous journey across the Irish sea," a headline on a satirical Irish news website declared. A technologically savvy Internet user doctored an image of a banner on the Cybele Palace in Madrid to read: "British refugees welcome".