Massive demos preparing to express people’s horror at Trump’s visit to the UK. It’s an official State visit so the Queen and the Royal Family will provide the photo opportunities to give some polish to the most racist, misogynistic liar ever to serve as President of the US. And to his four adult offspring.
Adding to past cock ups in the relationship with the UK (e.g., retweeting a British far right racist message, and suggesting that Nigel Farage should be British Ambassador to the US) Trump is again insulting the London Mayor Sadiq Khan (“like De Blasio but shorter”), Prince Harry’s wife Meghan (“nasty”, then he denied he said it in spite of a published recording), he has recommended Boris Johnson to be the next Prime Minister (of course interfering in this way with UK politics is completely inappropriate) and as he is coming to discuss trade his ambassador has stated that “the NHS should be on the table” indicating the now openly intention to bring in private American healthcare providers to replace it.
Fortunately the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow has refused Trump the honour of addressing Parliament, and the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as the Lib Dem’s Vincent Cable have refused to attend the dinner hosted for him by the Queen.
Amnesty International Resist Trump banners will decorate several bridges: “President Trump’s administration has been a huge shock for human rights.
“His zero-tolerance policy on immigration has seen families torn apart at the Mexico border, and decimated the US government’s programme for helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety, leaving thousands in limbo.
“He’s kept open the infamous Guantánamo Bay detention centre where hundreds of people have been illegally detained and tortured.
“He’s pushed through a discriminatory travel ban that effectively bans many Muslims from entering the United States, even just for a holiday.
“He’s ramped up the US drones programme that’s seen hundreds of civilians unlawfully killed in Africa and across the Middle East.
“He’s even pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council.”
Hear Owen Jones invitation to join the protests here
Trump’s choice of new anti-abortion Judges has started a process that will put millions of women’s lives in danger and his support for the fossil fuel lobby (leaving the Paris agreement and calling the polluting and climate change products “molecules of US freedom” in one of the worst examples of semantic violence ever seen), is another strategy to neutralise attempts to stop the suicidal career towards environment disaster.
The list goes on. We must remind ourselves though of Chomsky’s warning, that while Donald Trump works to distract the public with his antics and provocations, his administration is working to dismantle every aspect of government that benefits the people.
