Protesters vow to stage ‘huge’ anti-Trump demonstration if state visit goes ahead
Protesters have vowed to launch a “huge demonstration” against Donald Trump if his state visit to the UK goes ahead this summer.
Read more: Trump plans to return to the UK this summer
The Stop Trump coalition, the group which organised a march claiming to consist of 250,000 people when the US President came on a so-called working visit to Britain last year, has promised to “flood the capital with hundreds of thousands of protesters” if he returns on a more prestigious state visit in June.
Shaista Aziz, from the Stop Trump coalition, said: “This demonstration isn’t just about Trump as one man. He is a symbol of the new far right, a politics of Islamophobia… and walls and fences that are growing around the world.
This morning it emerged Trump would attend the UK on a state visit in the first week of June. He was first promised an official state visit by Prime Minister Theresa May shortly after his election in 2016 but no official date was set.
The visit last year followed comments in which Trump said Boris Johnson would make a “great Prime Minister”, as well as criticising May’s Brexit deal – saying he “would have done it much differently”.
In London protesters floated a huge balloon depicting Trump as a baby above Westminster.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council estimated the police operation for the 2018 visit cost nearly £18m.
Sabby Dhalu from campaign group Stand Up to Trump said: “Donald Trump is the world’s number one racist, warmonger and misogynist… His presidency has emboldened every fascist and racist across the globe and is stirring up tension in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.”
The plans come after a week of protests from activist group Extinction Rebellion took over the capital to raise awareness of climate change, and demand politicians do more to prevent environmental breakdown.
Read more: Climate change protest: Activists to march on Westminster
More than 1,000 people have been arrested since the protests started on 15 April. Today activists march on Westminster as MPs return to parliament after the Easter break.