A Londoner’s view of Trump’s visit
For those of you across the Pond, this is what it was like today in London with Donald Trump in town.
We were woken up early by around a dozen American military helicopters flying over our house. We happened to be directly under their flightpath. Large, with twin propellers, they roared overhead one by one, shaking the windows and infuriating everyone. I had thought they were transporting Trump’s entourage, but on reflection I think they may have been carrying the fleet of bomb-proof cars in which Trump arrived at Blenheim Palace, Chequers, and Windsor Castle.
During the afternoon we went to join the protest in London. I am writing this up because I know Trump will dismiss the protests, the right wing media will either belittle them or not cover them at all. So it is important to record what happened to counter that.
The protests were peaceful. The crowds were of all ages, races, and religions. People were there with their children, and their dogs.
The protests began at the BBC building at the top of Regent Street, and moved along Regent Street to Trafalgar Square. People also began outside Parliament, or carried on to Parliament and then back up to Trafalgar Square. The organisers estimated 250,000 people protested, but official numbers are not out yet.
There was some music, people were cheerful. This was a show of solidarity for the Americans we know do not support Trump. It was a show of defiance to those who do. It was also a clear demonstration from London to Trump that he is not welcome here. This was a response to Trump’s repeated attacks on our Mayor, to his incitement after the terror attacks here, and to his lies about our hospitals and crime rate. Trump has abused London for his propaganda at home, and this did not go un-noticed here. He stands against everything that is London, and that is why Londoners turned out to make clear he was not welcome here.
People were very creative with their signs and banners. This was not a dumb, angry crowd, but a thoughtful and mixed crowd with real concerns, and a mix of political issues, and a profound sense of humour. There is a difference between liberal protests and right wing rallies. The liberals express their anger through humour, belittling Trump and his hate-filled politics. Right wing rallies in America saw men with burning torches, guns, and violence.
There was one small group of around 10 men, standing outside a pub on Whitehall, just near Downing Street, who appeared to be from the English Defence League. This is a very small right-wing, ultra-nationalist group. Trump promoted them on Twitter a while back. They stood quietly waving flags and wearing red MAGA caps.
A small line of police surrounded them, beyond which another larger crowd of anti-Trump protestors stood waving placards and blowing whistles. There was no anger or violence. They looked quite pathetic. At the edge of this a man in a red MAGA cap was being filmed debating quietly with passers-by. In Parliament Square three young people stood alone, a girl wrapped in an American flag, a boy holding a small sign that said ‘Trump is welcome here.’ Various people came and talked to them. One policeman stood a little way back watching, just to be sure.
The protest went through the main buildings of government, past the door of the Prime Minister, alongside the Houses of Parliament. The icon of this protest, an inflatable baby-Trump in a diaper, holding a phone, was carried up from Parliament to Trafalgar Square. It had already become the symbol of this day, with the same images on t-shirts and banners.
For any American in the crowd, one thing they may have noticed is what was not there. The police were not armed. The whole protest was very lightly policed. There were no police in riot-gear. Near Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister, three special armed police officers stood against a wall, smiling and chatting to passers-by. There were no police on roof-tops, no snippers, no armoured vehicles. The police were relaxed, posing for photos, laughing with people. This was policing by consent, the founding principle of British policing.
Today’s protest was ultimately about preserving a world in which we can protest. The inflatable baby Trump was a reminder that in a democracy the most powerful man can be teased freely. Today the police were there to protect our right to protest as much as to police our protest.
Trump may not see the protests. He will surely ignore them if he does. He will lie about the number of people on the streets of London today, just as he inflated the numbers at his inauguration. He will probably believe his lies.
But today the protestors won because Trump’s entire visit to the UK was forced to avoid London. He had to have his meetings in country houses away from any people. He did not walk the streets, being cheered, shaking hands, and kissing babies. Instead he was whisked from one place to the next in helicopters, a total pariah. The only people he met in England were there, I think, out of duty, for the sake of trade, security, and diplomacy, or because it was their job. He had no friends here today.
