More than 70 people in Birmingham and Solihull say it should be an act of treason to oppose leaving the European Union .
And another 60 people in the Black Country say opposing Brexit should be a crime.
They are among 4,000 people nationwide to sign a petition demanding people who support staying in the EU keep quiet following the referendum decision to leave - or face the threat of jail.
It was set up by a Conservative councillor, who has now been suspended by his local party.
While the petition is - probably - not entirely serious, it has provoked a strong reaction, with Liberal Democrats saying it’s “downright frightening” that Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to intervene.
Guildford councillor Christian Holliday created the petition, which calls for the Treason Felony Act to be amended to make it a crime to support EU membership, or to conspire with foreign powers to make the UK or any part of it become a member of the 28-nation bloc.
Explaining his initiative, the Guildford councillor said: “It is becoming clear that many politicians and others are unwilling to accept the democratic decision of the British people to leave the EU. Brexit must not be put at risk in the years and decades ahead.”
Asked about the petition, Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokeswoman said: “Different people will choose their words differently.
“The Prime Minister has been very clear that the British people have made their decision and we should respect the will of the British people. That’s how she would put it.”
But Liberal Democrats said that Mrs May should make clear she does not approve of the petition.
“It’s bad enough that a Conservative councillor is trying to shut down any democratic debate about Brexit as treason, but it’s downright frightening that the Prime Minister has so far refused to condemn him,” said Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Tom Brake.
“People did not vote to turn back the clock to medieval Britain. The Lib Dems will be the real voice of opposition and fight against a reckless Brexit that takes us out of the single market.”
Watch: Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Brexit could lead to another independence referendum
The petition is so far well short of the 10,000 required for the Government to respond or the 100,000 needed for the proposal to be debated in Parliament.
It can be signed on the official Parliamentary petitions website, at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/168882 . The website also reveals how many people have so far signed it in each part of the country.
So far 74 people in Birmingham and Solihull, and 60 in the Black Country, have signed.
