Thousands gathered in central London to protest about Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK.
While the US president was treated to pomp and pageantry at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, with supporters lining the streets, the British capital was home to far more irreverent scenes.
Several Trump impersonators walked the march to Parliament Square, complete with heavily orange tans and voluminous blond hair. Palestinian flags and pro-Palestine placards dominated the gathering, as did chants of “Free Palestine” and “Donald Trump, you’re a clown. You’re not welcome in our town.”
The march, organised by the Stop Trump Coalition, saw MPs Zarah Sultana, Jeremy Corbyn and several other speakers take to the stage to criticise Mr Trump’s visit.
More than 1,600 police officers were deployed across the city, including 500 assisting from forces outside of London, with a heavy police presence around Downing Street and the Cenotaph.
Mr Trump has reportedly been kept away from the backlash, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to strengthen the UK’s “special relationship” with the US at a turbulent time.
The atmosphere at the event was largely jubilant and upbeat, with costumes, wigs, caricatures and “angry orange baby” balloons aplenty. One woman was dressed as the “Statue of Taking Liberties”, while another couple held a spike bearing a pretend pig’s head dressed in a wig and a Maga hat.
However, clashes occurred along the way. One right-wing campaigner, holding a union jack flag, heckled the crowds from the sidelines and shouted comments including “Boring” and “There were 500,000 of us last week, how many of you are there?” referring to last week’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally organised by Tommy Robinson. The heckler was promptly dubbed a “fascist” in response.
Another man sat at a pop-up table that read “We love Trump” and said he had attended as a “lone voice for Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk”. Police intervened to break up the more heated exchanges.
Sisters Santini and Wendy More, who travelled to London from Birmingham, said they were attending the rally in an effort to “stop Donald Trump’s influence” and show him he is “not respected, wanted, or needed” in the UK.
The couple carrying the pig’s head told The Independent: “Trump’s policies are taking us back 50 years, and denying global warming is criminal. I just think he’s a pig.” Their message to Trump: “Stop behaving like a dictator.”
Chris Williams, 74, said he understands the strategic need to welcome the president, but he believes Mr Trump is “manipulating” disenfranchised communities.
Retired probation officer Keith Norton, 69, told The Independent that Mr Trump represents the “epitome of American bullying”, adding that Sir Keir should “stand up” to the US leader rather than appeasing him.
More than 20 miles away in Windsor, Mr Trump met with King Charles to watch a specially arranged military parade that had been organised for his visit. He was seen greeting the Princess of Wales with a compliment, saying “You’re so beautiful.”
A YouGov poll revealed that 45 per cent of Britons believe it was wrong to invite the US president, while one in three believe it was the right move. Only one in five (19 per cent) of people claimed to hold a favourable opinion of Mr Trump, with 69 per cent having an unfavourable view.
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