By Prarthana Mitra
Thousands of Londoners welcomed US President Donald Trump, who is in the country on an official visit, by descending on Trafalgar Square on Friday for an Anti-Trump rally. Anti-Trump protests were organized for every stop of the president’s trip, to voice global condemnation for his regressive foreign and immigration policies.
View of Regent St #TrumpVisitUK pic.twitter.com/oHbB8bWGQb
— Jam Creencia (@jamcreencia) July 13, 2018
As part of the protest organised by the Stop Trump Coalition group, a giant inflatable of Trump-baby flew above the Parliament during the president’s tour of the capital, a move that was given the green signal by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and City Hall.
Protesters for the 'Stop Trump' Women's March in London, as part of the protests against the visit of US President Donald Trump to the UK. #TrumpVisitUK #TrumpProtest pic.twitter.com/HUn5KWXcO5
— Yui Mok (@YuiMok) July 13, 2018
That said, not everyone is pleased with the vocal anti-Trump criticism.
British TV anchor Piers Morgan who tried to mansplain journalist, activist, and Corbynite. Ash Sarkar on national television, paid dearly for his ridiculous assertions and hilarious line of questioning. “I’ve checked out some basic facts about your hero Obama,” Morgan said on his show Good Morning Britain, probing Sarkar to justify why she didn’t march against Obama, to which Sarkar replied, “He’s not my hero! I’m a communist, you idiot.”
Morgan, also a noted transphobe, was trying his best to put words in her mouth throughout the interview, and Sarkar, who campaigns for the Stop Trump organisation, was having none of that. When she begins to talk about why she’ll be protesting Trump in Westminster, Morgan retorted if she found Obama’s deportation of three million people “unconscionable” as well, to which she answered, “Yes, yes I did.”
#Trump is visiting the UK tomorrow. Here are 3 reasons why we're joining the protests against him, to ensure he hears loud and clear that #torture doesn't "absolutely work". It destroys lives. #StopTrump pic.twitter.com/EWM5zhKjOE
— Freedom from Torture🧡 (@FreefromTorture) July 12, 2018
Accusing him of “strawmanning his guests” to make up for his own incompetence as a journalist, Sarkar ended the segment saying “I’ve been a critic of Obama, I’ve been a critic of the Democratic party because I’m literally a Communist.”
Carnival of resistance
Dazed magazine in collaboration with New York artivist, The Illuminator, projected powerful messages onto the London skyline about the state of UK as a part of their latest project #AddressTheNation. On Tuesday, they illuminated the Houses of the Parliament, the Ministry of Justice, The Royal Courts of Justice, and Nelson’s Column with statements protesting Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategies, the Tories’ inefficacy, LGBT rights and Trump’s impending visit, of course.
https://twitter.com/Dazed/status/1017742061095784449
We're joining the #carnivalofresistance today to send a clear message to the UK government: stop making us the puppet of #Trump's America. #TrumpVisitUK #13July #TogetherAgainstTrump #StopTrumpism #Resist pic.twitter.com/ghrs1ywW2n
— Global Justice Now (@GlobalJusticeUK) July 13, 2018
Trump landed in Britain on Friday afternoon and met with Theresa May at Chequers before joining the Queen at Windsor Castle. According to Sarkar, the protest unites Londoners who are filled with repugnance and embarrassment at the thought of “our elected prime minister holding hands with Donald Trump’s hand.”
Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius
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