Hot Air: London Swells With Protests Against Donald Trump

Hot Air: London Swells With Protests Against Donald Trump

It must be a familiar scene to Donald Trump by now: Tens of thousands of people marched in the streets on Friday, this time in London, in protest of the American president’s visit to the U.K. The sounds and sights were largely familiar, if they had slightly different accents and spellings—starting from outside the BBC’s offices near the center of the city, outraged Brits shouted chants and carried signs decrying the Trump administration’s travel ban, his treatment of women, his zero-tolerance policies at America’s borders, and his destabilizing international diplomacy tactics that some fear will lead to war. The literal pièce de résistance was a giant blimp called the “Trump baby,” a massive, snarling orange diaper-clad behemoth with a tuft of chest hair, clutching a smartphone in its tiny hand, presumably tweeting about itself as it floated by the Houses of Parliament and above the crowds. The blimp was the brainchild of activist Leo Murray, and resources for its construction were crowdfunded online.

The scene was captured for Vogue by photographer David Abrahams. The president is largely avoiding London—Mayor Sadiq Khan, who approved the blimp, has sparred with Trump in the past, notably after Trump retweeted a British group known for its anti-Muslim content last year. In an explosive interview with The Sun newspaper, published during his visit, Trump said that London had made him feel unwelcome and sought to connect recent crime incidents to immigration. Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Khan fired back: “The wonderful thing about our city is the diversity. I hope you’ll realize it’s a strength, not to be afraid of, but to be cherished.”