Donald Trump is set to be met with mass protests when he returns to the UK for his long-awaited State Visit.
Mr Trump will spend three days in the UK on a trip that includes lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace and meetings with Prime Minister Theresa May .
Mr Trump’s schedule for Tuesday includes a business breakfast at St James’s Palace with Mrs May and senior business leaders from the US and UK.
He will then visit Downing Street, before hosting a dinner at the residence of the US ambassador when he will be joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
During the president’s visit to the UK last July, an estimated 250,000 people protested on the streets of central London.
This year the iconic baby blimp is set to make an appearance and protest props will also include a 16ft talking robot of Mr Trump sitting on a gold toilet.
Facebook event pages promoting separate protest marches have already drawn interest from tens of thousands of people.
Will there be any protests against Donald Trump’s state visit?
Yes. Lots.
(Image: PA)
When will the protests take place and what route will they take?
Tuesday 4 June
The main anti-Trump protest, organised by Together Against Trump and Stand up to Trump, will take place in London on Tuesday 4 June from 11am.
Activists will be meeting at Trafalgar Square but the exact route will depend on the President’s itinerary.
The event, co-ordinated by 16 groups and individuals including Momentum and the Stop the War Coalition, said: “Donald Trump is coming to Britain for a state visit. Let’s show him what we think of his divisive, hateful policies.”
The event, which has 7,700 people listed as attending and a further 33,000 as interested, says the march will begin in Trafalgar Square at 11am on Tuesday to “declare a Trump -free zone” before “marching to wherever he is”.
The event description says: “We will be taking to the streets opposing Trump ‘s racism, themed areas will feature throughout the protest with climate justice, migrants’ rights, anti-racism, women’s rights, LGBT rights, anti-war and trade union rights, and many more.”
The CND, who are supporting the protest, will be holding placards with the message “Stop Trump’s nuclear arms race” and “No nuclear war.”
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “Trump’s nuclear brinkmanship has made the world a more dangerous place.
“When he’s not threatening nuclear war, he’s tearing up treaties that help prevent it. The military build-up in the Middle East suggests that US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last year was, in effect, a declaration of war.”
Monday 3 June
Other smaller protests are planned around the UK on Monday 3 June.
In Liverpool Stand up to Racism Liverpool and Liverpool TransPride have organised a protest which will take place on June 3 from 6pm to 10pm meeting outside St George’s Hall.
In London there will be a protest outside Buckingham Palace to try and disrupt the president’s banquet.
Protesters are encouraged to gather from 5.30pm at The Spur outside Buckingham Palce and to “Bring pots and pans, vuvuzelas, musical instruments etc and make some noise!”
Wednesday 5 June
(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz / Barcroft Media)
Activists will be gathering in Portsmouth where the President will be commemorating D-Day.
They will be protecting between 11am and 2pm in Guildhall Square in Portsmouth.
Together Against Trump say of the event: “It is an insult to all those who died fighting fascism that Trump, who has done so much to encourage fascists and the far-right, has been invited to the D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth.
“Local activists will be gathering, along with veterans groups, to remember all those from around the world who have died in the fight against fascism, and to whole-heartedly oppose Trump’s co-opting commemorations as a PR stunt.”
The Trump baby blimp
The team behind a huge Donald Trump baby blimp which was the star of the protests last year is “confident” of being granted permission to fly the effigy again during the US president’s upcoming state visit.
The phone-wielding, nappy-wearing inflatable could return to London on Tuesday as thousands plan to march in protest against the visit.
The blimp made its first appearance in July last year during his previous working visit, which also sparked mass protests.
Organisers have applied for permission to fly the blimp at Parliament Square on Tuesday and the Greater London Authority has confirmed it is reviewing the request.
It is understood the decision will be made jointly with the Metropolitan Police.
But the blimp, part of the Stop Trump coalition group, will only be unleashed if a fundraising page for charities “pushing back against the politics of hate and division” hits £30,000.
At lunch time on Thursday, 532 people had donated a total of £16,695.
Organiser Kevin Smith said: “We will only fly the baby if we hit the target.
“I don’t think it’s a done deal but we will definitely be pushing it over the coming days.”
Mr Smith added: “We’re in the process of applying for permission at the moment and that’s a mixture of talking to the police and the Greater London Authority, and we’re applying for essentially the same permit as what we had last time.”
The blimp is currently stored in a “suitcase in Kentish Town” and organisers are “presuming” permission will be given, Mr Smith said.
A spokesman for the Greater London Authority said a decision will be made in “due course”.
