A JEWISH veteran of the Polish Underground recently wrote: “Do not ever imagine your world cannot collapse like ours did.” One day he was living happily in Poland, the next he was on the run from the Nazis.

War, conflict between nations, especially in Europe, can arise so easily. And it is the potential fragmentation of Europe into nationalistic nations which is most worrying about leaving the EU.

Because not only may we leave the EU, but other countries, influenced by myopic and destructive nationalism, may leave too, resulting in the domination of short-sighted, often hate-filled, destructive nationalist ideologies and leading to conflict across Europe.

Within the European Union, our elected MEPs and leaders sit together, discussing our common European issues and problems, negotiating, developing understanding, sharing concerns and pursuing justice, something which must be good for all of us. Losing this will be tragic.

Many worry about the economic damage from Brexit. More important is the threat to peace and cooperation in a continent which has seen the most horrible, genocidal, destructive wars. By leaving the EU we may be leading the way to a fractured, divided Europe, through which we run the risk of losing so much that we have.

Philip Nathan, Chester-le-Street