The British economy is in the doldrums and families have to deal with high prices, so it’s no surprise that Trump’s visit is controversial. A YouGov and Sky poll this week found that 45 per cent of voters think the president should not have been invited. Only 30 per cent say it was the right thing to do, while 25 per cent are unsure.
Still, Trump has vocal supporters for this visit. Some gathered outside Windsor Castle to cheer for Trump, even though they will not get to see him because security is so tight. Other supporters came out to speak their mind to the protesters at the rally that moves toward Westminster.
Protesters gather in London’s Parliament Square during a demonstration of the Stop Trump Coalition group.Credit: AP
“I admire the way he’s against net zero, which I don’t like, and I admire the way he’s trying to sort the border out,” one of the Trump supporters tells me on Regent Street. “He’s not perfect but we’ve got to work with him, and I want him to know we’re not all against him.” This protester, or anti-protestor, is a large man and asks to be called Maximus, but will not tell me his real name.
Another Trump supporter tries to provoke the protesters as they move down the street near Oxford Circus, so the police step in. Within seconds, they gather around him and move him a block away from the crowd, to avoid any potential for violence. They do not stop him voicing his support for Charlie Kirk, the conservative American murdered in Utah last week.
“I’m here to stick up for Charlie Kirk,” this man tells me. His name is Danny Tommo. “I’m a British patriot. I’m here to show the left for what they are – they cannot debate, they just want to commit violence. I’m also here to say that Trump is welcome anytime.”
Danny Tommo, a Trump supporter and right-wing activist. Credit: David Crowe
Tommo is outnumbered at this protest, but he and his allies have supporters in the community. He is a long-time associate of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who organised the Unite the Kingdom march that mobilised up to 150,000 people on the streets of London last weekend. The big issues at that march included opposition to asylum seekers.
It is hard to be exact about the numbers at the Stop Trump Coalition rally, but Reuters is reporting that authorities put the count at about 5000. That is a long way short of the conservative rally last weekend.
A supporter of US President Donald Trump.Credit: Bloomberg
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