PROTESTS ACROSS WALES AS MPS DEBATE TRUMP STATE VISIT
Parliament considers petition signed by more than one million people opposing Theresa May’s invitation
Hundreds of campaigners came together across Wales yesterday to protest against President Trump’s state visit to the UK.
Men, women and children met in towns and cities including Cardiff, Swansea and St Davids to protest against the controversial subject of Trump’s state visit.
It was held on the same day that MPs in the House of Commons considered a petition signed by more than 1.5 million people calling for the visit to be stripped of the trappings of a state occasion in order to avoid causing “embarrassment” to the Queen.
Prime Minister Theresa May extended the invitation to the new US leader when she visited him in Washington in January.
Men, women and children met at the Aneurin Bevan statue on Cardiff’s Queen Street to hear politicians and public speakers take on the issue, before singing the Welsh national anthem and marching down the popular shopping street.
Campaigners also gathered at Castle Square in Swansea city centre to coincide with the discussions in Parliament.
People at the UK’s smallest city – St Davids in Pembrokeshire – joined the national movement by gathering in Cross Square to say no to Trump’s proposed state visit.
Organisers said: “St Davids may be small but there are plenty of people in the area who object to Trump’s policies, and our government’s eager readiness to appease him.
“Our government needs to take a stand and make it clear that Britain will not stand alongside a world leader so demonstrably sexist, racist, and divisive.
“The biggest protests will be in the big cities, but even the UK’s smallest city will be making it clear: Trump is not welcome here.”
Before a march along Cardiff ’s Queen Street, Cardiff Central’s Labour AM Jenny Rathbone said: “I think there are huge dangers ahead if we don’t put down some markers.
“I think there are massive, massive dangers here. I just don’t think he’s someone I would want to ever have anything to do with.”
Speaking about the protest in Cardiff, she said: “People have to have some way of saying ‘this is not the world we want to live in and this is not the world we want our children to inherit’.”
On the state visit, she added: “If it goes ahead, I think it’ll be a bit of a diplomatic disaster. There’ll be an awful lot of people protesting it.”
Cardiff council’s deputy leader, Councillor Sue Lent, said: “I don’t think he should be welcome here. He’s shown that he’s a racist, he’s banned people coming into the United States, he seems to have terrible attitudes towards women.
“He certainly wouldn’t be welcome in Cardiff. I would hope he wouldn’t be welcome at all in Wales.”
Former First Minister Rhodri Morgan spoke at the event, saying: “In a way, I would like to see him come to this country on a state visit because we could all manifest our opposition and our total contempt for everything he stands for.”
Cardiff North’s Labour AM Julie Morgan added: “It is so important that we have this sort of event because this shows the world what we think, and we show it by being here on the streets, showing our strong conviction for the sort of Wales that we want.”