Nicolas Hatton: Looking back at the last six years at the3million
Saying goodbye is never easy and it’s with great emotion that I am stepping down as the CEO of the3million at the end of the year.
When I founded the3million in July 2016, we were about 66 million EU citizens in the 4 nations of the United Kingdom. All with equal rights across all member states of the European Union, regardless of where we were born.
When I woke up the day after the referendum, it felt like I was living in a nightmare and I needed to do something. We ended up being a handful of people in a pub, with huge question marks over our future, our lives and our families. You could feel the anxiety and tension in the air. One thing was clear: inaction was not an option, we had to stand up for our rights.
Promises were made to those who came to this land of opportunities that nothing would change for them, as Britain embarked on the long journey of implementing Brexit. Yet, I, as an EU citizen in the UK, felt betrayed and I became anxious about my future after the referendum.
Like many fellow EU citizens, I worried that the most vulnerable members in our communities would suffer the most and it gave me the strength and the vision to organise our community around values such as compassion, inclusiveness, respect, and pride in our common identity.
These citizens are well represented today by the3million and I am very grateful for everyone who believed me when I relentlessly promoted the cause. Collectively, we have achieved so much over the past six and a half years and I am proud to have been at the helm of a formidable movement of empowered EU citizens changing the course of history. #PeoplePower
I remember the early days of the3million, when EU citizens gathered to express their anger at a decision which excluded them. I am not a bargaining chip, we said.
I remember the mass lobbies in Parliament, the rally in Trafalgar Square, the numerous meetings with officials in Westminster and in Brussels. I remember when Michel Barnier said 'Citizens first' when we met him in 2017 or when Theresa May name-checked the3million in the House of Commons when she announced scrapping the £65 application fee for settled status.
I remember as we demonstrated in front of Parliament with our friends, British in Europe, with the simple message ‘This is our home’, creating an iconic moment to help the rest of society understand what we stood for.
Out of this movement, myriads of organisations organised 1 to 1 support for EU citizens and many are still doing incredible work today, such as the charity Settled, which I co-founded in 2019, and many others. As civil society organisers, we are the lifeline of many who cannot navigate the EU Settlement Scheme and risk falling into the claws of the hostile environment. It's a credit to British and EU citizens who took the responsibility to help another and ensure no one is left behind. I want to express my deep gratitude to all those who believe in people power and spend their energy helping others.
Whether you joined the3million as a volunteer, as a spokesperson, as a member of staff, as a non-executive director, as a member of the Forum for EU citizens, as a supporter, as a funder or as a donor, I thank you for helping make the3million what it is today.
We know the political context is difficult and there is so much work needed both in advocacy, in changing the public narrative, and in grassroots organising. Now is the time for me to give the opportunity to someone else to lead the movement, with the knowledge that the3million is in an excellent position to carry out the vision I have played a role in setting out.
As a French national, my values are summarised by the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and I deeply believe it's also a fitting motto for the values of EU citizens in the UK.
Vive the3million et les citoyens européens du Royaume-Uni!
Long live the3million and the EU citizens of the United Kingdom!
European regards,
Nicolas
