Thousands of protesters marched through central London on Wednesday to denounce Donald Trump’s second state visit to Britain, voicing opposition to the former US president’s politics and presence on UK soil.
The Metropolitan Police estimated the turnout at around 5,000 people. Demonstrators gathered outside the BBC’s headquarters before marching to Parliament Square, where a rally was held under the banner “Stop Trump.”
Speakers included Green Party leader Zack Polanski and comedian Nish Kumar. “This is the moment to challenge everything Donald Trump stands for,” Polanski told the crowd. “This is the moment to reject the politics of hate and division.”
Carrying placards and banners, protesters highlighted a range of causes, from climate change to Palestinian rights. Smaller versions of the giant “Trump baby blimp” that drew global attention during his 2019 visit were also flown.
“Trump is sowing destruction and disorder throughout the whole Earth,” said Dave Lockett, a 67-year-old former teacher. “If his ideas get into this society, then what we’re talking about is fascism in Britain.”
The demonstration was organised by the Stop Trump Coalition, a network of groups including Amnesty International UK, Black Lives Matter UK, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Greenpeace. The coalition said Trump had minimised his London appearances to avoid mass opposition, accusing him of “hiding” in Windsor, where he was hosted at Windsor Castle.
Police deployed more than 1,600 officers, including 500 drafted from outside the capital, but reported no incidents or arrests. A small counter-demonstration failed to materialise.
Trump, who remains deeply unpopular in Britain, was invited for the visit by the Labour government. A YouGov/Sky poll published Wednesday found nearly half of respondents opposed the invitation, while only a quarter believed it would strengthen UK-US ties.
London mayor Sadiq Khan, a long-time critic, renewed his opposition in an article for The Guardian. He accused Trump of “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, [and] deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities,” describing the former president’s tactics as “straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.”
