London (AFP) – Armed with signs and shouting slogans, thousands of anti-Donald Trump protesters descended on central London on Wednesday to decry the US president’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK. London’s Metropolitan Police estimated that there were around 5,000 people at the protest, which culminated in a rally in front of parliament. With Trump receiving the red-carpet treatment at Windsor Castle, around 22 miles (35 kilometres) west of London, demonstrators marched in the heart of the British capital to display their disdain on the first full day of the trip.
“We’re protesting, I suppose, about everything about Donald Trump. You don’t know what placard to carry, really, there’s so many things” to dislike, former teacher Dave Lockett, 67, told AFP. “He’s sowing destruction and disorder throughout the whole Earth… If Trump’s ideas get into this society, then what we’re talking about is fascism in Britain,” he added.
Left-wing lawmakers, including new Green Party leader Zack Polanski, were among those to address the crowds in Parliament Square at the rally hosted by well-known comedian Nish Kumar. “We are gathered here united to say this is not in our name,” Polanski said of Trump’s invitation from the ruling centre-left Labour government. “This is the moment to challenge everything Donald Trump stands for. This is the moment to reject the politics of hate and division.”
Protesters had first massed early afternoon near the BBC’s headquarters, holding aloft an array of banners, flags and signs, covering everything from support for the Palestinians to rejecting fascism. Amid a cacophony of drumming, some demonstrators had recreated smaller versions of the giant balloon depicting Trump wearing a nappy which was famously flown during his first state visit in 2019. Yashi Sriram, a doctor originally from India, turned out with a placard reading: “End the genocide. Stop Trump.” “I just wanted to show support for the people of Palestine, really, more than anything else,” said the 32-year-old.
A group called the Stop Trump Coalition organised the demo, with a broad alliance of organisations sponsoring it, including Amnesty International UK, Black Lives Matter UK, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Greenpeace. The coalition questioned why Trump would barely be in London during the visit. “Because he knows we’re protesting against him,” the group said in a statement ahead of the march. “Instead, he’ll be hiding and having a sad little carriage ride all by himself in Windsor with a parade that no one will even see. This is because of the power of our protest.” Those at the evening rally repeatedly chanted: “Say it loud, say it clear: Donald Trump not welcome here,” as various speakers railed against him.
London’s Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,600 officers — including 500 brought in from other forces — to ensure the event passed off without incident. A purported counter-demonstration failed to muster, and there were no reports of disorder or arrests. A lone protester, surrounded by police, displayed a sign reading: “We Love Trump,” sparking boos as anti-Trump campaigners marched past him.
Trump remains deeply unpopular in Britain, with new polling Wednesday showing almost half of respondents thought it was wrong to invite him for a second state visit. Only a quarter believed it will improve UK-US relations, according to the YouGov/Sky survey. London mayor Sadiq Khan, who allowed the unflattering Trump baby blimp to fly during the American president’s first-term visits, has been a persistent critic amid a years-long feud.
Khan wrote Tuesday in The Guardian: “Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years.” An estimated 150,000 people attended a weekend rally in London organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with 26 police officers injured in clashes on the event’s fringes. In the article, Khan — the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when he was first elected in 2016 — accused Trump of “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities.” “These actions aren’t just inconsistent with western values — they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook,” he wrote.
© 2024 AFP
