Guyana-Born Briton Praised As Both Hero And Traitor In Brexit Lawsuit

Guyana-born Gina Miller addresses the media after The British High Court ruling Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016.

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, LONDON, England, Fri. Nov. 4, 2016: Fifty-one-year-old Guyanese immigrant and UK citizen Gina Miller, who stunned the world Thursday after Britain’s High Court ruled in her favor on a Brexit lawsuit she had brought before them has turned the former model and entrepreneur into both a hero and a traitor to some on social media.

The British High Court ruling Thursday said parliament must vote to trigger Article 50 of the EU’s treaty, which allows member states to leave the union. The government had argued that the nationwide balloting on June 23, 2016, which resulted in a vote to leave the EU, and its own executive power were enough for it to notify Brussels without parliament’s consent. It is appealing the court’s decision.

After the decision was announced, Miller spoke to reporters outside the Royal Courts of Justice, and said her lawsuit was about Britain as a whole, not her personally. “This case was about process not politics,” said Miller, co-founder of investment boutique SCM Private who opposed Brexit. “My dedicated team is absolutely delighted to be able to be part of this debate and to bring some sobriety as we go forward.”

But many took to Twitter to deride her with racist tweets and death threats, slamming her as a foreigner, an immigrant who had committed treason.

Fifty-year-old Guyanese immigrant and UK citizen Gina Miller, who stunned the world Thursday after Britain’s High Court ruled in her favor on a Brexit lawsuit. (Twitter image)

“Traitor not even born in the UK who needs to be stripped of her citizenship,” David Jones ‏tweeted while another said the immigrant turned millionaire hedge fund manager “should be hung from a lamp post.”

“Meet Gina Miller @thatginamiller. A millionaire immigrant hedge fund owner behind today’s high court attempt to scupper Brexit. Traitor,” tweeted England My England while Paul Oakley added: “What!?! Gina Miller now has the audacity to say Article 50 case was “for all of us”. This vile woman does not speak for the 17m. #UKIP”

Jack Burrow ‏tweeted:“We live in a great democracy..unless you are a millionaire hedge fund owner like #ginamiller and can pay fancy lawyers to destroy it #brexit.”

The hate was riding so high that a US-based sport caster also named Gina Miller on Twitter began receiving tons of hate tweets on the Brexit ruling, forcing her to tweet: “To all my passionate, new UK followers: Article 50 Gina Miller is @thatginamiller. If you want to talk sports, I’m your girl.”

But others lauded Miller, a former chamber maid turned millionaire, as a hero.

“Unsurprisingly, racist comments about #GinaMiller already abound. This is why it’s hard *not to* associate #Brexit with racism,” Ms. P tweeted while Want To Stay added: “Congratulations to Gina Miller on doing more to safeguard the sovereignty of parliament than both the leave campaigns combined.”

“Proud that it’s a Black British woman who reminds nation that #ParliamentisSovereign #BillOfRights1689 #GinaMiller,” tweeted Bonnie Greer while Richard tweeted: “Gina Miller is a national hero.”

Miller launched the Brexit legal case along with London-based Spanish hairdresser Deir Dos Santos and the People’s Challenge group, set up by Grahame Pigney and backed by a crowd-funding campaign.

Three London law firms – Mishcon de Reya, Edwin Coe and Bindmans – agreed to take up the case. In the lead up to the case, she argued that only Parliament can make a decision that leads to the loss of her “rights” under EU law. She had voted “remain” in June saying the referendum made her ‘sick’

Miller is the daughter of the former Attorney General of Guyana, previously British Guiana and was sent to a private girls’ school in Britain when she was 10.

According to the Daily Dun, At the prestigious Roedean School in Brighton she ran away because she ‘experienced racism for the first time’ and ‘was bullied badly’.

Miller went on to study law at university and turned to modelling and is said to have been the inspiration behind playwright Dennis Potter’s racy BBC drama Blackeyes, which starred Gina Bellman as a fashion model. She married for the first time at 20 and had a daughter.

Her second marriage was to controversial financier Jon Maguire, whose investment fund later lost around £120million.

She walked away from that marriage in 2002 and married her third husband Alan Miller. She co-founded the investment firm SCM Private in 2009 with him and launched True and Fair as well, which campaigns against misselling and hidden fund charges in the City of London’s fund management industry.

Her charity, the True and Fair Foundation, formerly known as Miller Philanthropy, was launched in 2009. The foundation says it supports smaller charities by providing funding and support.