Protestors promise to remain vigilant as US President puts-off trip until October
US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has postponed his planned state visit to the UK until October after a wave of protests across the UK.
Reports have alleged that Trump, who has aroused a mass movement in opposition to his hard right policy agenda just weeks since he took office, decided to postpone his state visit offered by close ally UK Prime Minister Theresa May due to the “heat” generated by the UK protest movement.
However, he may also be planning to visit during the Westminster parliament recess, in order to avoid the embarrassment of being barred from the premises by speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.
Instead, it has be confirmed that the president of the US will fly to the UK for his visit between 5-8 October.
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Trump’s assets in Scotland, including controversial golf resorts, led him to visit Scotland while on his presidential campaign trail in 2016. Fears over mass demonstration in London in the event of a state visit there have led to speculation he may visit Scotland during a state visit.
Speaking to CommonSpace Jonathon Shafi, an organiser of recent protests of thousands against a Trump visit in Edinburgh, said: “This is a humiliating climb down from Trump and a wake-up call for Theresa May. Think about it – a US President literally having to back off visiting the UK because of the sheer scale of the expected protests. We’ve found out that they monitor the street movement here, and they obviously are worried about the backlash.
“If they think pushing the visit back is going to take the ‘heat’ out of the demonstrations they have another thing coming. All it does is give is more time to prepare. This whole episode shows where the real resistance lies – on the streets and in the movement – and not in the pages of the Guardian who welcome Bush back with open arms, or for that matter, Tony Blair.”
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Trump has faced an international wave of protests since he took office in January. US citizens have protested in their millions against his misogynistic comments, an executive order to ban citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the country which has since been suspended by US courts and his plan to build a border wall with Mexico.
In a statement, the UK-wide Stop Trump Coalition said: “The tens of thousands who have already protested against Trump’s visit have had a real effect – Trump’s visit will be delayed until at least October to ‘let the heat die down’. But we promise that it’s only going to get hotter. The opposition to this state visit, and to Trump’s policies, is growing every day. Whether he comes in spring or autumn, or to London, Birmingham or Scotland, we will meet him in huge numbers to say that the politics of hate and prejudice are not welcome here.
“Theresa May has badly miscalculated. The British people don’t want this racist, misogynist billionaire anywhere near them. At the same time as showing our support to all the people in the USA battling this dangerous president, we will also show our own Prime Minister that she has no mandate to draw us closer to Trump or the other extreme right-wing leaders she is currently courting.”
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Activists have called on opponents of Trump and his policies to remain prepared for protest in the event of a state visit.
Picture courtesy of mathiaswasik
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