Nervous Britons are looking to the sea and the sky for any sign of how Thursday’s Brexit will go, as their neighbors used food and love letters in an attempt to convince the UK from breaking from the European Union.
Otto, the limelight loving live octopus at the Sea Life aquarium in Manchester was presented with two boxes Wednesday, one marked “Remain” and the other “Leave.”
Otto wrapped her tentacles around the Remain box, showing “no wavering” officials noted.
“She has continued to enjoy using her interactive skills for the various predictions so now we’ll just have to see if her next vote is correct,” Sea Life aquarium spokesman Dan McLaughlin told The Telegraph.
The mollusk wasn’t the only soothsayer.
As the Brexit referendum came down to the wire, Nicola Holland of Andover, Hampshire, noticed a cloud shaped like the British Isles “standing alone and strong,” the Daily Star of the UK reported.
Pro-remain campaigners urge people in the UK to vote to remainAFPShe predicted this was a “good omen,” she said.
In Yorkshire, the Little Valley Brewery conducted a beer-based poll by creating three labels – In, Out and IDK (I Don’t Know) – to let customers have a say.
The brewery announced that ‘In’ has been the best-seller.
Meanwhile, neighboring countries also showed signs of nervousness.
On Tuesday evening, the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland, was lighted in the colors of the Union Jack and included the hashtag, “Vote Remain,” the Washington Post reported.
In Germany, citizens are afraid that a British exit from the 28-nation bloc could affect trade relations.
Last week, Berlin entrepreneurs traveled to London, where they embarked on a “Bratwurst against Brexit” campaign – handing out free sausages on the streets, apparently unaware that food distribution is not allowed under campaigning rules.
And a group of French volunteers arrived at London’s St. Pancras and King’s Cross railroad stations Wednesday and launched their own mission: “Operation Croissant.”
A pro-remain campaigner from “Operation Croissant”AFPAlong with the Parisian-baked delicacies, they also handed out postcards – “love letters” — with handwritten messages from French nationals.
“Because what would you do without French kiss?” read one, The Local reported.
Kathryn Sygrove, 50, received a postcard which read: “Please don’t leave us alone with the Eurovision Song Contest,” The Local reported.
“I’ve already made my mind up,” she said. “I’m on the side of the croissant.”
Amy Ferguson, 33, who coincidentally works for a company that bakes croissants, said she had already decided to vote against an exit, but added: “I think it’s nice that they have sent us this. I’m touched.”
Alas, British bobbies put the kibosh on the nosh so the croissants were to be donated to a homeless shelter, with no political strings attached.
Brits also have been displaying signs of anxiety over the impending vote.
Postcards written by ParisiansAFPDr. Laurence Gerlis, founder of the UK’s SameDayDoctor, said patients have reported turning to alcohol to help cope with their stress, the Mirror newspaper reported.
Citizens on edge about how Brexit could impact their job security also have reported an addiction to sex.
“I have had some patients say to me that they will lose their job if we Brexit or that their entire work profile will be torn to shreds,” Gerlis said.
The gripping drama also has played out in social media.
British politician Daniel Hannan tweeted a Brussels report that leaving the EU “could prompt dragons to attack London.”
Even the US presidential race was dragged into the foray.
“If US can tell us to stay in Europe, can we tell them to get new Presidential candidates?” tweeted @Gareth_D_Morgan.
More on the many faces of the Brexit campaign:


















