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Top 5 grass root level EU influencers to follow

Sofia Karttunen

To give a light spin on any high-level EU discussions, here is a brief compilation of some of the most known English-language pro-EU influencers. The mission of these citizen campaigners is to spread positive and entertaining messages about the EU. This is a list worth following for the readers of Tähdistö!

Twitter is very much alive in today’s politics and public discussion. Its great power to reach people is used for political campaigning and open discussion with decision-makers by citizens and groups of active individuals interested in EU affairs. These citizen campaigners are not afraid of putting themselves out there in their comments, videos and photos promoting the value of the EU in an entertaining way. And with a simple message: you can be a young (or even anonymous!) citizen capable of making an impact – as long as you’ve got an interesting social media presence with witty remarks. Read more below to find out which accounts are worth following:
Berlaymonster
This hairy figure is very infamous in the EU bubble and not to be taken too seriously. Named after the European Commission’s ‘Berlaymont’ main building, the creature has been there to bash EU news and entertain EU professionals already for nine years and counting. Even though his identity continues to remain unknown, Berlaymonster has been listed as the fourth most powerful EU influencer.


Retired and current Captain Europe
Many people seem to think the EU is dull and boring. I am doing my best to make it shiny and interesting’ pledges the self-proclaimed ‘only real-life Superhero in Europe’ – Captain Europe – who makes appearances at several European events in Brussels. This battle may take a lot of energy, as the original Captain has already retired. However, he has been taken over by his younger successor in 2016, continuing the tradition of flying around with the blue and yellow colours of the EU flag.


Madeleina Kay
Regardless of what Captain Europe says, there might just well be space for another female superhero. Madeleina has established her place in EU politics with the hashtag #EUsupergirl. Campaigning for the reversal of Brexit and pro-European perspective in the UK and beyond, she writes and performs songs with her guitar and appears dressed as a superhero together with her dog Alba White Wolf. Not a lot of fuss for nothing – she was chosen as the Young European of the Year in 2018!


WhyEurope
Having started of as a project among three students, WhyEurope has quickly grown to become an officially registered association based in Tübingen, Germany involving more than 20 members from several European countries. The aim of WhyEurope is to counter euroscepticism by pro-EU propaganda by producing various memes and humoristic infographs a.k.a. ‘positive populism’.


Femi
Another pro-EU campaigner from the UK besides Madeleina, Femi seeks to educate the Brits about what the European Union really does when he is not debating with Brexit figure and MEP Nigel Farage. He is the co-founder of the ‘Our Future, Our Choice’ campaign which gathers students from everywhere across the UK who believe ‘Brexit is a disaster and should be democratically stopped’.


TEXT  Sofia Karttunen
PHOTO  Public Domain Pictures

 
Sofia holds a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in European Public Law and Governance and is especially interested in EU internal market law and communications. Sofia is currently working with advertising and communication agencies’ interest representation in Brussels.

Sofia Karttunen