LONDON: 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 kilometers) 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 center-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.”
‘Hiding’
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 organized the demo, with a broad alliance of organizations 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.
Trump unpopular
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 organized 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.
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Thousands protest in London over Trump UK visit
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Thousands protest in London over Trump UK visit
- London’s Metropolitan Police estimated that there were around 5,000 people at the protest
- A group called the Stop Trump Coalition organized the demo, with a broad alliance of organizations sponsoring it
Explosions rock Ukrainian capital ahead of planned talks in Geneva
KYIV: Several explosions shook central Kyiv early Thursday, AFP journalists heard, after officials warned of air raids in the Ukrainian capital ahead of planned talks in Geneva with US representatives on ending the Russian war.
Washington is pushing to bring an end to the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and destroyed swathes of territory, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported high-speed targets heading toward Kyiv shortly before Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said Russia was attacking the city with strike drones and ballistic missiles.
“Air defense is operating. Stay in shelters until the alert is cleared!” he said on Telegram.
The attacks were not limited to the capital.
In the northeast, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said two blasts were heard in the city as Russian Shahed drones targeted the area, warning residents to stay in shelters with “drones and missiles flying toward the city.”
Terekhov later reported a “combined air attack” with impacts in the Shevchenkivsky and Kyivsky districts.
In the southeast, Zaporizhzhia regional chief Ivan Fedorov said the city had come under attack, reporting several explosions and at least one person wounded.
In Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said a Russian strike wounded an 89-year-old man and sparked a fire that damaged a high-rise building.
Ukraine has faced repeated overnight barrages in recent months as Russia targets cities with missiles and drones amid harsh winter conditions.
Washington is pushing to bring an end to the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and destroyed swathes of territory, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported high-speed targets heading toward Kyiv shortly before Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said Russia was attacking the city with strike drones and ballistic missiles.
“Air defense is operating. Stay in shelters until the alert is cleared!” he said on Telegram.
The attacks were not limited to the capital.
In the northeast, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said two blasts were heard in the city as Russian Shahed drones targeted the area, warning residents to stay in shelters with “drones and missiles flying toward the city.”
Terekhov later reported a “combined air attack” with impacts in the Shevchenkivsky and Kyivsky districts.
In the southeast, Zaporizhzhia regional chief Ivan Fedorov said the city had come under attack, reporting several explosions and at least one person wounded.
In Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said a Russian strike wounded an 89-year-old man and sparked a fire that damaged a high-rise building.
Ukraine has faced repeated overnight barrages in recent months as Russia targets cities with missiles and drones amid harsh winter conditions.
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