LONDON — Armed with a giant orange President Trump balloon, protesters against the American leader’s state visit to Britain have vowed to bring central London to a standstill on Tuesday, by staging demonstrations that are expected to draw large crowds throughout the day.Some of the demonstrators plan to fly the balloon, which depicts Mr. Trump as a scowling baby wearing a diaper and holding a smartphone, near places on the president’s itinerary. The 20-foot-tall balloon was flown during his working visit to Britain in July last year and became a rallying symbol of similar protests.“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.”There is no shortage of detractors for Mr. Trump 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.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.The main protest set for Tuesday, named Together Against Trump, will assemble 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.Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, announced that he would be speaking at the main protest on Tuesday.“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.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.”Buses have been organized to ferry in 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.It is unlikely that the protesters will be able to get close enough to throw anything at President 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 at
Protesters Vow to Bring London to a Standstill During Trump’s Visit
LONDON — Armed with a giant orange President Trump balloon, protesters against the American leader’s state visit to Britain have vowed to bring central London to a standstill on Tuesday, by staging demonstrations that are expected to draw large crowds throughout the day.Some of the demonstrators plan to fly the balloon, which depicts Mr. Trump as a scowling baby wearing a diaper and holding a smartphone, near places on the president’s itinerary. The 20-foot-tall balloon was flown during his working visit to Britain in July last year and became a rallying symbol of similar protests.“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.”There is no shortage of detractors for Mr. Trump 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.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.The main protest set for Tuesday, named Together Against Trump, will assemble 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.Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, announced that he would be speaking at the main protest on Tuesday.“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.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.”Buses have been organized to ferry in 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.It is unlikely that the protesters will be able to get close enough to throw anything at President 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 at
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