Mark June 23 down as a rather big day for Britain, the country set to vote on whether or not they wish to remain part of the EU.

The vote has most commonly been referred to as Brexit (a little video summation HERE), and as is usually the case the rhetoric has turned nasty as the big day approaches.

Tensions have escalated further following the murder of lawmaker Jo Cox, shot and stabbed outside a library by a man allegedly shouting ‘Britain First’. More on Jo from the New York Times before we talk about that poster:

Elected to Parliament for the opposition Labour Party last year, Ms. Cox was a supporter of the European Union, had worked for the humanitarian organization [sic] Oxfam and called attention to the plight of refugees. Thomas Mair, the man charged in her killing, made his first court appearance on Saturday.

OK, let’s take a gander at the controversial poster circulated by a group calling for Britain’s exit from the EU:

And some reaction:

“When I saw that poster, I shuddered,” Michael Gove, the nation’s justice secretary and a leader of the group Vote Leave, told the BBC on Sunday, criticizing the man who approved it: Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party.

“I thought it was the wrong thing to do,” Mr. Gove said…

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, called for the poster to be withdrawn and described it as “vile and racist.” George Osborne, the British Treasury chief, said it had “echoes of literature used in the 1930s.”

If you know anything about Nigel Farage you’ll know that he doesn’t go down without a fight, playing the victim card at the first chance:

Mr. Farage rejected the criticism, telling the ITV television network that, far from stoking hatred, he had “been a victim of it.” He described the poster as a reflection of “the truth” and added that Mr. Gove’s campaign had also released “very strong posters.”

But Mr. Farage also said the death of Ms. Cox might have had a negative effect on the chances of those who support a withdrawal, or “Brexit.” “We did have momentum until this terrible tragedy,” he said.

Shame, sorry for your momentum loss there Nige.

The vote is expected to be tightly contested, and I’m sure the nastiness of the past few months will only escalate in the days before the big call is made.

[source:newyorktimes]