Britons see Trump as full of hot air
The “Trump Baby” blimp, a helium-filled effigy of President Donald Trump, lifts off from Parliament Square on Friday in London. While Trump had tea with the queen, thousands crammed London streets to vent their anger over his visit.
LONDON — Tens of thousands of demonstrators turned out in London alone. A “Trump Baby” balloon was launched into the sky above Parliament Square. Many people banged pots and pans and chanted slogans. Those were some of the ways people on Friday mounted protests at every stage of President Donald Trump’s working visit to Britain.
The main protests came a day after the president’s trip was jolted by The Sun newspaper’s publication of an interview in which Trump gave a harsh assessment of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy and praised Boris Johnson, her Conservative Party rival, as a potentially great prime minister.
But later, Trump tried to repair the damage, calling May “tough.”
The most anticipated installment of Britain’s “Stop Trump” protests — a giant orange balloon of Trump depicted as a pouting baby in a diaper and holding a smartphone — took flight in London earlier in the day.
As if they were waiting for a rocket launch, dozens of people gathered around the 19-foot balloon and counted down from 10 before it was released into the air.
“This is a victory,” said Leo Murray, an activist and the creator of the balloon. “People love it, he hates it, and it’s driven him out of London.”
Murray and other activists behind the inflatable “Trump Baby” have called the balloon a “symbol of resistance,” aimed at sending Trump a clear message that he is not welcome in Britain.
“The only way to get through to him is to get down to his level and talk in a language he understands — one of personal insults,” Murray has said.
Throngs of demonstrators began gathering at 2 p.m. for the national rally in sites like Trafalgar Square. Oxford Street was transformed into a carnival of slogans against Trump.
“Dump Trump,” “Child Snatcher” and “Trump Special Relationship: Say No,” some of the placards read. “Hey, ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” thousands of people chanted.
Two hours after soaring above the city, the Trump Baby balloon was brought back to earth and landed on its tummy in Parliament Square.
Among the protesters were Muslims who held outdoor Friday Prayers at Cavendish Square Gardens in Central London, where they denounced Trump’s policies and rhetoric as divisive.
As the president’s visit progressed Friday, one of the trending hashtags on Twitter was #LoveActually, referring to the 2003 romantic comedy. Twitter users said May should channel Hugh Grant, who plays the British prime minister in the movie, and push back against Trump.
In the movie, the prime minister warns the U.S. president, played by Billy Bob Thornton, that the countries’ “special relationship” was in danger of becoming a “bad relationship.”
“We may be a small country, but we’re a great one, too,” he says.