Tens of thousands join marches across UK against Trump's travel ban
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Version 0 of 1. Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in marches across the country condemning Theresa May’s state visit invitation to Donald Trump. Demonstrators urged the prime minister to withdraw the invitation and denounced the American president’s travel ban as “racist”. Some of the UK’s most prominent Muslim organisations organised the event awith leftwing organisations including Stand Up to Racism, Stop the War and the People’s Assembly. A video message from Jeremy Corbyn, who was unable to attend, was played at the event. In the speech, he said that Theresa May and the Tories “are on the wrong side of history”. Corbyn told the crowds Trump’s state visit invite “should be withdrawn until the executive orders are gone and every element of them repealed”. After apologising for not being there, he said: “Let no one be in doubt that I will oppose and the Labour party will oppose all those who fan the flames of fear at home and abroad. I support the demand of millions of people in Britain that Donald Trump should not be welcomed on a state visit to this country while he continues to propagate his anti-women, anti-Muslim and anti-Mexican policies.” Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, told the Guardian he believed teachers had a duty to join the movement to oppose Trump. “We are already getting reports of an atmosphere of fear among some children in schools,” Courtney said. “If you are a Muslim kid in a school in the UK, it’s a worrying time with Muslims banned from a country with a president who is so unpredictable. “It seems to me that Trump is not an ordinary bad politician with bad policies on immigration. It seems to me that his policies are not essentially foolish, instead they are aimed at encouraging division. To me it feels like we are in a – goodness, we all hope this is wrong – but I feel like we are at a moment that could turn out to be a 1930s moment. We have to speak up for love and inclusion against the policies of ignorance.” Dawn Butler, the MP for Brent Central, told the crowds that Theresa May needed to “understand the responsibility” of the UK’s relationship with the US. She said of the US travel ban: “The answer isn’t walls and the answer isn’t bans.” Crowds brandished placards declaring “No to scapegoating Muslims” and “No to Trump, No to War” as they walked. Another sign read: “Kitten heels grow some claws, stop appeasing racist laws.” Chants of “Theresa May shame on you” and “Donald Trump is not welcome here” echoed through the streets of central London as protesters marched from the US Embassy to Downing Street, lining the length of Whitehall back to Trafalgar Square. One of the protester, Faizan, 24, from Tooting, south London, said he had come along to voice his opinion on Trump’s policies. “I can’t just sit around at home to watch other people,” he said. “Until I do something, I’m not setting an example for my family, my friends and my community.” Asked her opinion of Trump, another protester, Sara Abdulle, 20, said: “You shouldn’t discriminate and divide people because once you divide people you no longer have a state, you don’t have a functioning society. And the only way that we are going to be having a functioning society is if we all come together.” Charlie, 22, marched with a placard saying: “Make racists afraid again”. He said: “It’s absolutely time to take a stand. We’ve been sitting around complacent, the population has been way too complacent for way too long. We know how to deal with fascism, we’ve seen it in the past. If we allow it to develop it will seize control of everything, so this is the time to prevent it taking hold.” A petition calling on the government to prevent Trump from making a state visit because it would cause “embarrassment” to the Queen has received more than 1.8 million signatures. Downing Street rejected claims the Queen has been put in a difficult position due to the invitation and insisted the state visit would go ahead later this year, but MPs will debate the matter later this month. Speaking from a podium next to the Cenotaph, David Rosenberg, leader of the Jewish Socialist Group, said: “We live in a world where many people would like Jews and Muslims to be enemies. But we are here as Jews to express our complete solidarity with Muslims threatened and victimised by Trump. “We stand also with Mexican people, who are mainly Catholic, bearing the brunt of Trump’s racism. And as Jews who know something about being refugees, we give our solidarity to all refugees.” |