Protesters hope to fly the Trump baby blimp again
Anti-Trump campaigners hope to fly the Donald Trump blimp over London once again as a protest against the US president’s state visit to the UK.
The balloon, depicting the US president as a nappy-wearing baby, was hoisted in Parliament Square during the American leader’s visit to the UK last summer and the Stop Trump Coalition is planning to stage a similar aerial demonstration when he arrives in June.
Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want and an organiser of the Stop Trump Coalition, described the blimp as an asset of their campaign and that they were confident of getting a licence to allow it to be flown.
Mr Rehman said: “Wherever it flies it will be close to Buckingham Palace and Donald Trump will have no option but to see himself up there in the sky. We have to negotiate where and when but we’re confident it will be flying.
“We think it’s important we send a powerful signal to Donald Trump, to reject not just Donald Trump as an individual but his politics – he’s a climate change denier and fosters bigotry and hatred.”
He added: “We hope to have a huge amount of people coming out to reject Donald Trump and his politics.”
The Stop Trump Coalition, a network of grassroots campaigns, unions and NGOs, and Stand Up To Trump, a range of campaigns against war, austerity and racism, staged protests during the president’s 2018 UK visit.
The two bodies have again joined forces for the planned Together Against Trump demonstrations.
Mr Trump is expected to spend part of his visit at Buckingham Palace where a state banquet will be staged in his honour, but he will not be staying at the Queen’s royal residence.
Prime Minister Theresa May hailed the visit, planned for June 3-5, as a chance for the UK and the US “to strengthen our already close relationship”, while the White House said it would “reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship” between the two nations.