British Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined thousands of people who staged nationwide protests against US President Donald Trump on the second day of his controversial state visit later on Tuesday. RNA - Speaking at a protest rally in Westminster, Corbyn said on Tuesday he was "very disappointed" by Trump's attack on the London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom the US leader accused of being a "stone cold loser" and “nasty.”
The British opposition leader did not mention Trump by name but he did refer to "our visitors,” and said all governments must oppose racism and misogyny.
"So I say to our visitors that have arrived this week. Think on please about a world that is one of peace and disarmament, is one of recognizing the values of all people, is a world that defeats racism, defeats misogyny, defeats the religious hatred that have been fueled by the far-rights in politics in Britain, in Europe and the United States," he said.
Corbyn, who refused to attend Queen Elizabeth’s state banquet for Trump on Monday evening, told protesters he was prepared to have "a dialogue" with anybody about building a more peaceful, just world.
Earlier, Corbyn had said said he will attend the protests and make a speech to “stand in solidarity with those he [Trump] has attacked in America, around the world and in our own country.”
Labour Members of Parliament Diane Abbott and Emily Thornberry had also said they were going to partake in the protests. The Liberal Democrats and the Green party have also confirmed their attendance and asked the public to join them.
Before the Labour leader's speech, Thornberry told a mass demonstration in London that “a state visit is an honor and we don’t think this president deserves an honor."“The truth is he has tried to close borders with Muslim-majority countries, he is caging small Mexican children, he has grabbed women and boasted about it. He is a sexual predator, he is a racist and it’s right to say that – we need to think about when is it our country got so scared?” she told BBC in a radio interview.
As part of a security operation that has cost taxpayers over £25 million, hundreds of police officers were deployed around London on Tuesday morning in anticipation of massive protests that were expected to attract over 250,000 people.
Police have barred demonstrations directly outside Downing Street by setting up road closures.
However, organizers of the Together Against Trump protest said they will take the crowds to the north end of Whitehall, where they would have a “clear view of the access to Downing Street.” They will then take an alternative route to Parliament Square.
The protesters have pledged a “carnival of resistance” where they would gather at Trafalgar Square from 11 a.m. to form a symbolic “Trump-free zone.”
Tuesday will also see the giant, orange inflatable "Trump baby" blimp take to the skies again after its owners reached their fundraising target and permission was granted by the Greater London Authority.
The organizers will fly their 20ft blimp, which depicts a nappy-clad president holding a mobile phone over Trafalgar Square.
They will also roll out a 16ft talking robot of Trump, which repeats the president’s popular sentences while playing with a mobile phone on a golden toilet.
Also in attendance will be climate change activists, students, pacifists, trade union members and British families.
Similar protests are planned elsewhere across the UK, including in Birmingham, Stoke, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Chester, Leicester, Oxford and Exeter.
Trump downplays protests, hails eternal relationship with UK
The demonstrations began after Trump touched down in London’s Standsted airport on Monday and boarded a helicopter to attend a Royal welcome ceremony at the Buckingham Place.
While the helicopter was chosen as a means of transport that would guarantee no encounter with the protesters, some activists made sure that Trump could still see them by projecting side-by-side images of UK approval ratings of Trump and his predecessor, President Barack Obama, on tall buildings.
They also projected an image of a baseball cap emblazoned with the USS John S. McCain warship onto a London building — a reference to reports that during Trump’s recent visit to Japan the White House had tried to hide the ship, which was heavily damaged from a collision last year.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, we read the story about the sailors on a US warship being ordered to hide from you because you’re triggered by the name on their hats. So we turned Madame Tussaud's into a giant USS John McCain baseball cap. Welcome to London! pic.twitter.com/KuynOwupFm
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) June 3, 2019
Marine One, which carried Trump and his wife Melania, flew above large crowds who held signs reading, “Stop Trump’s nuclear arms race” and “No to Trump, no to war, no to racism.”
Hey @realDonaldTrump, we've put up billboards across London to let you know what people in your own party REALLY think of you. People like @MarcoRubio#TrumpUKvisit pic.twitter.com/O4FDXu4GtB
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) June 3, 2019
Trump downplayed the protests, claiming in a tweet that his London visit was “going really well” and all he had seen were “tremendous crowds of well wishers and people that love our Country.”
“Haven’t seen any protests yet, but I’m sure the Fake News will be working hard to find them. Great love all around,” he wrote.
During his meeting with the queen, Trump praised the "eternal friendship" between London and Washington.
The queen said they were celebrating an alliance that had guaranteed the "safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades."
Trump to meet May
Trump is scheduled to meet outgoing UK Prime Minister Theresa May for talks on a range of issues, including climate, post-Brexit trade and the ongoing dispute over Chinese telecom giant Huawei's role in developing UK's 5G network.
The two leaders attended a breakfast meeting of British and American business leaders on morning, where trump pledged a "very fair" trade deal with the UK after Brexit and told May to "stick around" until it is completed.
After that, May, who will step down on Friday following her inability to take the country out of the European Union, will hold a meeting with Trump at Downing Street.
Accompanying May in the meeting will be senior officials such as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Duke of York and Chancellor Phillip Hammond. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump's daughter, Ivanka, will be in attendance as well.