Protests, projections and programs: How Britons are showing their displeasure at Trump’s visit
By Catherine Nicholls, CNN
London (CNN) — As Britain’s royal family welcomed US President Donald Trump to Windsor Castle in a lavish ceremony on Wednesday, the British public gave the American leader their own – markedly less friendly – response to his presence in their country.
In an altogether different kind of greeting, Brits have carried out demonstrations against the president over the last couple of days, though UK authorities have been keen to keep Trump away from any sign of public criticism.
Recent polling has shown that Britons generally disapprove of Trump. A poll published Tuesday by Ipsos found that 61% of Britons say they do not like the US leader.
‘Hey Donald, welcome to Windsor Castle’
The anti-Trump demonstrations kicked off on Tuesday evening, shortly after he touched down at London’s Stansted Airport and made his way to Winfield House, the official residence of the US ambassador to the UK, in the center of the capital city. Around 5,000 people marched through the capital, according to London’s Metropolitan police.
Some 25 miles away, activist group Led By Donkeys projected footage of Trump alongside convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto the side of Windsor Castle, where the president was set to commence his state visit the next day.
“Hey Donald, welcome to Windsor Castle,” the group said in an Instagram post of the stunt. It also posted a video of a timeline of interactions between the president and the late sex offender, calling it, “The story of Trump and Epstein.”
Four men were arrested on suspicion of “malicious communications” in connection to the demonstration, police said.
A spokesperson for Led By Donkeys said in a statement that it was the first time in the group’s history that any of its activists had been arrested for taking part in demonstrations involving projections, Britain’s PA Media news agency reported.
‘Politics of division and hatred’
On Wednesday, as Trump traveled to Windsor, protests against the US leader took place in London. London’s Metropolitan Police estimated about 5,000 people attended the anti-Trump demonstrations in the British capital.
Critics pointed out that local authorities were keen to shield the president from any public admonishment, keeping all scheduled events behind closed doors amid heavy security.
On Thursday, Trump will again steer clear of the British public, traveling to Chequers, the prime minister’s official country house northwest of London, for talks with Keir Starmer.
While Trump was having lunch with royals in Windsor on Wednesday afternoon, demonstrators began to gather in the British capital, brandishing signs and flags with slogans opposing the US leader, including “dump Trump,” “stop Trump” and others featuring expletives.
Some demonstrators came dressed as figures including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, holding signs including “war criminals for Trump,” “murderers for Trump” and “misogynists for Trump.”
Many at the protest also wielded signs that relate to specific political topics Trump has waded into, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel’s war in Gaza.
“We’re here for broad reasons, because the politics that Donald Trump represents, politics of racism, the politics of division and hatred, politics that puts profit before the planet… are the absolute antithesis of the politics that we represent and that we’re campaigning for,” Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told CNN at the protest on Wednesday.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan mirrored this sentiment in an op-ed published by The Guardian on Tuesday, accusing him of “fanning the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world” and calling on Londoners to reject his “politics of fear and division.”
‘Untruths and falsehoods’
On Wednesday evening, just as Trump is expected to unwind after finishing a state banquet held in his honor, British television network Channel 4 will broadcast an “unbroken catalogue” of his “untruths and falsehoods,” it has said.
The marathon “Trump v The Truth” screening is programed to air for a total of five hours for people in the UK and will display more than 100 “falsehoods, distortions and inaccuracies uttered or written by the US President since taking office in January,” Channel 4 announced in a press release.
Ian Katz, the chief content officer at Channel 4, said he hopes the day’s events will “remind viewers how disorientating and dangerous the world becomes when the most powerful man on earth shows little regard for the truth.”
“And if President Trump cares to watch along after the state banquet, he may even clear up a few misconceptions,” Katz added.
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CNN’s Christian Edwards, Nic Robertson and Vasco Cotovio contributed to this report.
