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Protesters Hit London Streets, With a Giant Trump Balloon in Tow Protesters Hit London Streets, With a Giant Trump Balloon in Tow
(about 8 hours later)
LONDON — Unleashing the giant Trump baby balloon once again, Britons protesting President Trump’s state visit vowed to bring central London to a standstill on Tuesday, holding demonstrations that they hoped would draw large crowds throughout the day. LONDON — Flying the giant Trump baby balloon once again, Britons protesting President Trump’s state visit tried to bring central London to a standstill on Tuesday with demonstrations that they hoped would draw large crowds throughout the day.
But lagging numbers in the early hours seemed to indicate that the passions that drove hundreds of thousands into the streets for Mr. Trump’s first visit in July may have cooled somewhat. But the turnout fell below expectations and the volume of the protests during Mr. Trump’s first visit in July, suggesting that the passions that drove hundreds of thousands into the streets then have now cooled somewhat.
But not, perhaps, among those who did show up. Though not, perhaps, among those who showed up on Tuesday.
“Stop Racism, Stop Trump,” one placard read.“Stop Racism, Stop Trump,” one placard read.
“Climate change is real, your tan is not,” read another.“Climate change is real, your tan is not,” read another.
Many wore caps that mocked the president’s campaign slogan: “Make America Great Again. Impeach Me.” Many wore caps that mocked the president’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Theirs read: “Make America Great Again. Impeach Me.”
Ruby Lawson, a reflexologist, expressed disgust that her country would put on such a lavish affair for a figure as unpopular as Mr. Trump. Ruby Lawson, a reflexologist, expressed disgust that her country would put on such a lavish affair, including a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, for a figure as unpopular in Britain as Mr. Trump.
“It is so embarrassing that our government has invited this fascist buffoon back to our country and is giving him the royal treatment, pulling out the red carpet and wining and dining him with our tax money,” she said. “We want to show the world and Trump that this is not O.K., and Trump is not welcome.”“It is so embarrassing that our government has invited this fascist buffoon back to our country and is giving him the royal treatment, pulling out the red carpet and wining and dining him with our tax money,” she said. “We want to show the world and Trump that this is not O.K., and Trump is not welcome.”
The balloon, which made its debut during Mr. Trump’s last visit, depicts him as a scowling baby wearing a diaper and holding a smartphone. The 20-foot-tall balloon has since become a familiar rallying symbol for similar protests. The Trump baby balloon, which made its debut during Mr. Trump’s last visit, depicts him as a scowling baby wearing a diaper and holding a smartphone.
“Trump has repeatedly shown that he doesn’t respond to reason, to facts or to science. What he does respond to is humiliation,” Anna Vickerstaff, one of the organizers of the Trump blimp, wrote in an op-ed in The Independent on Monday. “Our balloon is part of a proud history of political satire in the U.K. that sends a clear, orange message to Trump and his politics of hate that they are not welcome here.” This year, the protesters unveiled a new gimmick: A huge statue of the president sitting on a golden toilet while posting messages on Twitter. The device, which has been named Dump Trump, has an audio function that produces flatulent sounds and repeats some of the president’s sayings, including “I am a very stable genius,” and “you are fake news.”
There is no shortage of Trumpian detractors in Britain: An online petition opposing his state visit received 1,863,708 signatures; John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, will not allow him to address Parliament; and a recent YouGov poll found that 67 percent of respondents had a negative opinion of him, compared to 21 percent reporting approval. Some protesters also used the demonstrations to criticize the Conservative British government and oppose Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, holding placards that read “Tories Out. General Election Now” and “Stop Brexit.”
In response to the planned protests during his last visit, Mr. Trump largely avoided London. But this year, Queen Elizabeth II has welcomed the president for an official state visit, which includes ceremonies, government meetings and a banquet traditionally hosted at Buckingham Palace in London. With Prime Minister Theresa May set to step down as the leader of the Conservatives on Friday, her party will be thrust into a leadership contest, which could create further turmoil in the government and hinder its attempts to agree on a Brexit deal with the European Union.
The main protest set for Tuesday, named Together Against Trump, began assembling Tuesday morning at Trafalgar Square in London. Demonstrators plan to march toward the prime minister’s residence, at 10 Downing Street, where the president is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May and hold a news conference. “The Tories are the British equivalent to Trump,” said Melissa Merlan, as she marched to Whitehall with her 5-year-old daughter. “If we allow them to lead us into Brexit without a deal, then the U.K. is going to unravel further and start to look a lot like Trump’s America.”
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, said earlier that he would be speaking at the main protest on Tuesday. When asked why the turnout was much lower than the demonstration held during Mr. Trump’s last visit, some protesters blamed the weather — a steady rain — while others said people were suffering from politics fatigue.
“Tomorrow’s protest against Donald Trump’s state visit is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those he’s attacked in America, around the world and in our own country,” he said Monday on Twitter. “We’ve been going around and around in circles over Brexit for more than two years now. People are tired and fed up,” said April Martin, Ms. Merlan’s sister and an activist for the Stop Trump campaign. “People just want to get on with their lives.”
In the post, Mr. Corbyn alluded to a series of tweets sent that day by Mr. Trump that took aim at London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, calling him a “stone cold loser” and comparing him to Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, whom he called “dumb and incompetent.” For the protests on Tuesday, buses had ferried demonstrators to London from at least 15 other British cities. And many Britons have registered their dissatisfaction with Mr. Trump in other venues.
Buses have been organized to ferry protesters from at least 15 other British cities. Some demonstrators have threatened to throw milkshakes at the president as part of a recent trend in protesting right-wing politicians. An online petition opposing his state visit received almost 1.9 million signatures; John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, barred him from addressing Parliament; and a recent YouGov poll found that 67 percent of respondents held a negative opinion of him, while 21 percent reported approval.
It is unlikely that the protesters will be able to get close enough to throw anything at Mr. Trump: He has opted to travel by helicopter during his visit, and the British police have set up barriers in front of all the venues he will be attending. To avoid the protests during his last visit, Mr. Trump largely stayed away from London. But this year, Queen Elizabeth II welcomed the president for an official state visit, which included ceremonies, government meetings and a banquet hosted at Buckingham Palace in London.
“Protesters will not be marching past Downing Street at any point,” according to a statement issued by the Metropolitan Police of London. “This is a multifaceted security operation, and whilst the Met has a responsibility to ensure the right to peaceful protest, this needs to be balanced with the complex requirements of this policing plan.” The main protest Tuesday, named Together Against Trump, began at Trafalgar Square. Demonstrators then marched toward the prime minister’s residence, at 10 Downing Street, where the president met with Mrs. May and held a news conference.
Organizers of the demonstrations said the main themes of the protest would be Mr. Trump’s “divisive and hateful politics,” climate change, migrants’ rights, women’s rights, L.G.B.T. rights and union rights. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, attended the main protest and called Mr. Trump’s visit “an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those he’s attacked in America, around the world and in our own country.”
“Donald Trump is an open racist and sexist, a volatile and dangerous character who seems set on taking the West into further wars,” said Maz Saleem, an activist and member of the Stand Up to Trump protest group. “Together we will put on a massive united show of opposition to him.” He hailed the crowds that gathered outside Downing Street as a “wonderful mosaic of diversity and inclusion.” Mr. Corbyn had declined to attend the state banquet with Mr. Trump on Monday night; on Tuesday his party confirmed that the president had rejected Mr. Corbyn’s request to meet.
Smaller protests were organized outside Buckingham Palace to coincide with the state banquet on Monday, and another demonstration has been organized for Wednesday in the southern city of Portsmouth, where Mr. Trump will attend events commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. “I am not refusing to meet anybody — I want to be able to have that dialogue to bring about the better and more peaceful world that we all want to live in,” Mr. Corbyn said.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, was more forceful in denouncing Mr. Trump, with whom he has a long-running feud. In an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, a day after Mr. Trump had called him a “stone cold loser,” Mr. Khan called the president “the poster boy for the far-right movement around the world.”
Some demonstrators had threatened to throw milkshakes at the president, part of a recent trend in protesting right-wing politicians, but they were not able to get close enough to throw anything at Mr. Trump: He opted to travel by helicopter during his visit, and the British police were setting up barriers in front of all the venues he would be attending.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police of London said that “whilst the Met has a responsibility to ensure the right to peaceful protest, this needs to be balanced with the complex requirements of this policing plan.”
Organizers of the demonstrations said the main themes of the protest were Mr. Trump’s politics, climate change and the rights of migrants, women, L.G.B.T. people and unions.
“Donald Trump is an open racist and sexist, a volatile and dangerous character who seems set on taking the West into further wars,” said Maz Saleem, an activist and member of the Stand Up to Trump protest group.
Smaller protests were organized outside Buckingham Palace to coincide with the state banquet on Monday, and another demonstration has been organized for Wednesday in the southern city of Portsmouth, where Mr. Trump is scheduled to attend events commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day.