Protesters in the U.K. are readying themselves for a surprise visit from U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming weeks and have demanded the government not “cosy up” to a man they describe as “a misogynist, a racist, a bigot.”According to a report in the Sunday Times, senior government officials are expecting the American president to make an unscheduled stop at at least one of his two Scottish golf clubs around the time he travels to France for Bastille Day celebrations on July 14.
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A source close to the White House told the newspaper: “There is a window of opportunity for the president to visit Britain when he is in Europe later this month. It is likely it will be hastily arranged and it is possible no official confirmation of his visit will be given until at least 24 hours before to stop any large-scale protests against his visit from being mobilised.”On Monday, a spokesperson for Theresa May said the government is “not aware of any plans for President Trump to visit the U.K. in the next few weeks,” but those opposed to Trump’s presence in the country are ready to mobilize at short notice in order to make sure their message is delivered to the U.S. president.
Trump will be travelling to Europe later this week, stopping off in Poland before travelling to Germany for the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7. It’s unclear whether he will return to the U.S. before travelling to France the following Friday, but the Guardian reports that Whitehall sources believe Trump could visit one of his golf courses in Scotland during the interim. Trump would therefore be expected to visit Downing Street to meet the prime minister for informal talks, but only 24 hours notice would likely be given.As a result, many people have been trying to draw attention to the potential visit, in order to organize a protest at short notice if the visit goes ahead.
“Let’s not allow the arrival of a misogynist, a racist, a bigot, and a threat to peace be unchallenged. Let’s take to the street in great number – and do ourselves proud by showing that Britain rejects his hatred,” Owen Jones, a member of the Stop Trump campaign, told the London Evening Standard.Other pressure groups believe that allowing the U.S. president to visit the U.K. will stoke further hatred of minority groups. “Donald Trump’s misogynist, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant views have contributed to a spike in Islamophobic and other hate crimes in the U.S.,” War on Want’s executive director, Asad Rehman, told VICE News. “The last thing the U.K. government should be offering is a veneer of respectability to someone who promotes divisive and reactionary policies such as Muslim and refugee bans.”Rehman added that “rather than cosying up to Trump in the hope of making some tawdry back room deals, the government should listen to the millions of British people who have sent a clear message that human rights, justice, and equality can’t be trumped.”After Prime Minister Theresa May personally invited the U.S. president to visit, Trump had been expected to make an official state-visit this summer. However, following outcry in the U.K. over the proposed trip, Trump is reported to have told May last month that he would not take up the invite if there were likely to be large scale protests against him.