Great Britain greets Trump with protests, balloon 'Trump Baby'

LONDON – A squad of "babysitters" in orange jackets pumped helium into a gigantic "Trump Baby" balloon and floated it over the water. Westminster Abbey, triggering a day of great peaceful and often mocking demonstrations. President Trump's visit here.

Although there were rallies throughout Britain, the largest was in central London. The protesters came for a dozen different reasons and as many causes. In the crowd that moved slowly, there were drag queens against Trump, families against Trump, trumpeters against Trump, you call him.

The police did not give an official estimate of the size of the crowd. The organizers claimed that more than 100,000 people were on the streets.

The demonstrators looked like London: they were urban and liberal, they brought their children and their dogs. Many of their signs were handmade and funny. "Special relationship? I want a divorce."

In interviews, some said that they thought Trump was a bully. Others describe him as a misogynist or a badual badailant. There were a lot of placards with the word "grab" this or that, referring to the audio recording of Trump's Hollywood Access.

The marchers said that they worried about climate change, the European Union, immigrants, Palestine, right-wing populism. The word "fascist" was used. Many of them mentioned Trump's policy of separating children from their parents when they were illegally intercepted by the US-Mexico border, a tool put back into the box [19659007] Although the US Embbady in London warned "During the protests, for fear of being attacked, the crowds were filled with American tourists and US citizens living abroad." I think that when you do not respect, you will be disrespectful, "said Paul Phillips, 54, a tourist visiting Buffalo, who was looking at the Trump Baby balloon – representing the president as an angry baby wearing a diaper and holding a cell phone – sinking up

The main march of the afternoon began at Portland Place near BBC Street and Piccadilly Circus before finishing at Trafalgar Square, which was filled to full capacity

The indignation of protesters was fueled by an explosive interview that Trump gave to the Sun, a British tabloid .ewspaper, in which he rejected as deeply skewed the plans of Prime Minister Theresa May to leave the European Union – and declared its strategy of alignment of rules and regulations for goods traded between Britain and the EU "

In the interview with the Sun newspaper, Trump grumbled about the protests. "I guess when they put out airships to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London," he told the newspaper. "I loved London as a city, I have not been there for a long time, but when they make you feel bad, why should I stay here?"

It was a good news for the organizers of the airship

"It worked dramatically, we basically drove it out of London – it has the message: it's not welcome here," said Leo Murray , the brain behind the Trump Baby project.

Murray, who wore a red overalls that said "Trump Babysitter" on the back, said he and his comrades chose to He added that "this would be an effective form of protest against Donald Trump because he's notoriously vulnerable to personal insults. "

Melissa Woolsey, 41, a Seattle firefighter who traveled to Europe, said the demonstrations demonstrated solidarity with Americans who s & # 39; 39, oppose Trump. "In fact, I really hope that we are not alone in our opinions, "she says.

Denton Brown, 50, a writer in London, said that he knew he would be on the street as soon as he heard Trump. "I am against this president in all respects," he said. "What he says and does about women, immigrants, LGBT people, you name him."

He said that he believes the protests – and the wide publicity given to Trump Baby – "will certainly go under his orange skin."

The organizers of the British demonstrations aimed to organize some of the biggest demonstrations since 2003, when hundreds of thousands of people invaded the street to oppose the war in Iraq.

"I walk because of Trump's contempt for Britain and his shameful treatment of minorities in the United States" Lammy, an influential member of the opposition Labor Party

"Every time London experiences a tragedy, it's also the case that Trump is licking his lips and tweets," he says. were not "anti-American – far from it". But he said that Britain's "special relationship" with the United States meant "to express oneself when one thinks that one side does not respect the values ​​that are dear to us."

The protests are "not just about Donald Trump, the man," said Asad Rehman, 51, one of the organizers of the Stop Trump coalition. "It's actually an expression of opposition to politics and politics that he represents, which also has echoes in Europe and the UK."

But Trump, the man, also helped to "galvanize a large section A protester wearing an anti-Trump billboard walks along a street during a protest in central London on July 13. (Simon Dawson / Reuters)