Remainers are scrawling ‘I love EU’ on 50p coins with permanent marker and releasing them back into circulation, in a last-ditch attempt to anger Brexit voters.
Karen Hoyles, from Devon, posted pictures of her defaced coins online, calling for others to follow suit.
In an appeal to her Twitter followers, she hoped for people to ‘get their creative juices flowing’ and release ’10million’ 50ps with the phrase.
The picture posted to Twitter by Karen Hoyles, showing a 50p coin with a heart and ‘EU’ scrawled on it in permanent marker, in an attempt to anger Brexit voters
Ms Hoyles, from Devon, also posted a picture of the permanent marker used to scrawl on the coin (right), while Nigel Callaghan claimed to find two defaced coins in his change (left)
Another apparent Remain supporter, Nigel Callaghan, claimed to have found two defaced 50ps, a pound and a two pound coin in his ‘change’.
Mr Callaghan appeared to sarcastically say it might have been ‘treason’ if the Queen’s face had been drawn on while also outlining how people could write on coins with a Sharpie.
The protest comes as Royal Mint announced its release of a special edition gold Brexit 50p coin, which can be purchased for £945 by those wishing to commemorate the occasion.
Three million special edition coins will also be released into general circulation this morning, bearing the inscription ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’.
Mr Callaghan (pictured above) appeared to sarcastically say it might have been ‘treason’ if the Queen’s face had been drawn on while also outlining how to write on coins with a Sharpie
Another Twitter user claimed to have completely defaced a 50p coin by using a drill-type tool. The Royal Mint website states it is illegal to ‘melt down’ or ‘break’ any metal coin
While Ms Hoyles received support from some social media users, who claimed they would be ‘declining’ the new 50p in their change, many criticised the move, describing it as ‘childish’
Ms Hoyles wrote: ‘Come on, all you need is a permanent marker. 10million in circulation would get the message across quite nicely.’
After her message was liked more than 11,700 times, she commented: ‘Great response, it’s got people’s creative juices flowing if nothing else.
‘We can safely assume it’s unpopular with Brexiteers, and even some Remainers. You can’t please everyone, but more importantly it’s given some of us a way to protest, however small. We’re a democracy, right?’
She later added: ‘Just to be clear all, I’m not forcing anyone to draw on coins. Some of the comments imply otherwise.
Chancellor Sajid Javid (above), who is also Master of the Mint, presented one of the new coins, which bear ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship to all nations’, to Boris Johnson this week
‘By all means give to charity, “take out of circulation”, paint chisel or throw into the sea. It’s meant to suggest a small act of defiance, not an order.’
While Ms Hoyles received support from some social media users, who claimed they would be ‘declining’ the new 50p in their change, many criticised the move.
One said: ‘What a good idea. I considered declining it in my change but that causes all sorts of difficulties.
‘The idea of gammons finding the message in theirs cheers me up.’
Another posted: ‘It is difficult to imagine anything more infantile or puerile. If you love the EU so much why not just relocate there and spare us from your silliness?’
A third added: ‘Even if you could manage to do all 10 million of them, what would it achieve?
‘Just another silly childish gesture by people who are old enough to know better.’
A fourth commented: ‘There’s a big difference.
‘I as a leaver finding one of these would chuckle, you as a Remoaner finding a Brexit coin would shriek like a child and refuse to accept it.’
Although many claimed Karen’s actions would break the law, the Royal Mint website states it is illegal to ‘melt down’ or ‘break’ any metal coin – but doesn’t mention writing on them.
It says: ‘Under Section 10 of the 1971 Coinage Act – No person shall, except under the authority of a licence granted by the Treasury, melt down or break up any metal coin which is for the time being current in the United Kingdom or which, having been current, has at any time after 16th May 1969 ceased to be so.’