The US President, Donald Trump, begins his state visit
to the UK on Thursday, with organisers planning a carnival of resistance across
the country. People in the UK want to demonstrate their opposition to the
racist, sexist, misogynist, proto-fascist behavior as practiced by Trump on a
routine basis.
An umbrella group, Top Trump Targets,
has set up a website to bring together the various groups in opposition to
Trump’s agenda. On Thursday, protesters plan to make a ‘wall of sound’ outside
the US Embassy in London and on Friday the Women’s March on London
are assembling at 11am outside of the BBC offices in Portland Place,
culminating in a rally in Parliament Square.
There is a second London demonstration on Friday, Stop Trump, led by the
TUC and Friends of the Earth, amongst others. This also starts outside of the
BBC at 2pm ending in a rally at 5pm in Trafalgar Square. There are demonstrations
in Glasgow on Friday evening and in Edinburgh, Saturday at noon. In London
around 4,000 police officers are being deployed, although Trump will be barely
in the capital.
This is the man, let us not forget, that praised the
neo-Nazi UK based Britain First and retweeted their Islamaphobic post on his
twitter account. Trump has said very uncomplimentary things about the London
Mayor, Sadiq Khan too, because of his religion, primarily.
The grab-’em-by-the-pussy’ president, has been accused
by at least 20 women of various sexual misdeeds, including assault and rape,
including the raping
of a 13-year-old girl in 1994, though the lawsuit containing the claim has
been dropped. Given Trump’s history of misogyny
and alleged sexual violence, it is no wonder that his debasement of women has
been a hallmark of his political career. Trump reinforced how easy it is for
hypermasculine misogyny, especially when partnered with xenophobia, racism,
Islamophobia, and a pathological distortion of truth, to thrive.
When Trump, as president, shamelessly
endorsed Alabama senatorial candidate Ray Moore, who
allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl and initiated sexual relationships with
minors in his thirties (Moore denied the allegations), he further reinforced
his commitment to the empowerment of conservative white men, no matter how
despicable they may be in their private lives.
Trump has just nominated Brett Kavanaugh to become a
Supreme Court judge. Kavanagh is said to be anti-abortion, which might result
in a change to US abortion laws. Last year, Kavanaugh decided against a
17-year-old undocumented immigrant in federal custody who sought to immediately
terminate her pregnancy, though he was overruled by colleagues.
Kavanaugh has a record
that shows extreme hostility to the rights of consumers,
voters, women, gays and lesbians, workers and immigrants.
Racism often goes hand in hand with sexism. Trump
branded Haiti
as a “shithole,” and complained about immigrants from Africa, and
wondered why the United States couldn’t accept more immigrants from a European (white)
country like Norway? He described black areas as essentially
fit for animals, portrayed Muslim Americans as fundamentally
untrustworthy, and criticized Mexico for sending “rapists” to the US. And he defended
white supremacists after they terrorized a city in a “protest” that
ended with the killing of a counter-demonstrator.
Also on Friday there will be a stunt by Leo Murray,
where a giant
Trump baby balloon will be flown over the Houses of Parliament. As Murray
says:
‘Theresa May practically fell over herself to invite
the orange sex pest here, despite nearly two million people signing a petition
asking her not to. And that was before he started snatching babies from their
parents at the border and locking them in cages…So it’s on everyone who knows
the difference between right and wrong to resist this grotesque excuse for a
president when he comes here.
That’s why my friends and I have made a
six-metre-high, orange, inflatable baby with tiny hands and a malevolent,
constipated expression on his face, which we intend to fly over Parliament
during the president’s visit on July 13th.’
Trump certainly appears to hate being mocked more than
anything else, so this balloon stunt could well hit the mark. There is talk of
having the balloon follow Trump around the world too, standing as a constant
reminder to everyone of Trump’s childlike tantrums and outbursts.
Let Trump know that the British people are revolted
with his attitude and behavior by attending one of the many protests against
his visit to the UK.
Belfast city hall 1pm Friday
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