THOUSANDS MARCH IN ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST
T HOUSANDS of protesters took to the streets of London yesterday, calling on Theresa May to withdraw her invitation of a state visit to Donald Trump.
Their protest came as the US state department was forced to reverse the cancellations of visas for foreigners after a judge blocked the US president’s executive order on immigration.
The department initially said up to 60,000 foreigners from seven majority-Muslim countries would have their visas “provisionally revoked” to comply with Mr Trump’s order blocking them from travelling to the United States. The department said it acted to reinstate the visas after receiving word from the US justice department about the judge’s ruling in Washington state.
For now, the department said people covered by the order and holding a valid visa may now travel to the United States.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump said: “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!”
Meanwhile in London yesterday, thousands took to the streets to call on Mrs May to end what was described by some as her “collusion” with Mr Trump. Demonstrators urged the prime minister to withdraw her controversial invitation of a state visit to Mr Trump and had denounced his travel ban as “racist”.
The march, organised by the Stop the War Coalition, Stand Up to Racism and the Muslim Association of Britain, among others, set off from the US embassy in central London towards Downing Street.
Protesters brandished placards declaring “No to scapegoating Muslims” and “No to Trump, No to War”, while they chanted “Theresa May shame on you”.
The prime minister invited the American president to visit Britain later this year during a recent trip to the White House. Hours later, Mr Trump introduced the 90-day travel ban on residents from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen to stop “radical Islamic terrorists” from coming to America.
It sparked fury in the UK and a petition calling on the government to preventing the visit because it would cause “embarrassment” to the Queen has received more than 1.8 million signatures.
Downing Street rejected these claims but MPs will debate the matter later this month.