Trump’s Second State Visit to the UK sparks ‘Trump Not Welcome’ Protest
Majidah Chowdhury, National News Section Editor
On Wednesday the 17th of September, an estimated 5000 demonstrators, including more than 50 charities and unions, assembled at Portland Place to protest against President Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK. Organised by the Stop Trump Coalition, attendees marched through Piccadilly Circus, Whitehall and finally Parliament Square where a rally was held at 5PM. More than 1,600 police officers had been deployed, including 500 from other forces, with a heavy police presence reported around Downing Street and the Cenotaph.
Starmer labelled the visit as “truly historic” and “unprecedented,” as it marked the first time a President had been invited for a second state visit. “The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable”, Trump declared in a speech during a banquet at Windsor Castle. His visit follows an official invitation from King Charles in February 2025, his letter stating that this would present “an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest”.
Starmer hopes that this trip will deepen economic ties between the US and the UK and secure billions of dollars of investment. The UK’s Business and Trade Committee has suggested that the presidential visit be leveraged to apply “maximum pressure” to secure a more comprehensive Economic Prosperity Deal, greater trade certainty, and improved terms.
Organisations including Greenpeace, Global Justice Now, Stand Up to Racism, and Friends of Al-Aqsa were among the many groups present at the protest opposing President Trump’s political influence in the UK. A spokesperson from the Stop Trump Coalition said, “It’s important to show up and show our dissent. He’s connected to everything bad and is only influencing the far-right in this country.” That view was echoed by another protester, who stated, “Trump is targeting the working class and ethnic communities, which will only get worse if we don’t stop it.”
The group- Socialist Students- also took part in the demonstration, organising a walkout from their respective educational institutions in protest. A member of the student-led organisation said, “We have to show Starmer that pandering to the right won’t get any more votes- it will just lose ours.” She added, “As young people who just gained the right to vote, none of us want this.”
A protester in the Jewish Bloc for Palestine commented that, “Trump is the one person who could stop the genocide in Gaza, but he’s only making it worse.” The Palestine bloc was at the forefront of the march, followed by blocs such as climate justice, migrants' rights, and Ukraine. Another demonstrator stated that this protest is a chance to “unify people in their universal dislike for Trump. He is a symbol of what everyone hates.”
Climate campaigner and member of Friends of the Earth- Auriel Dowty Glanville- remarked that “we are at a war with nature when we shouldn’t be”, while dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
A member of the organisation Women Against Rape stated that “Trump is a rapist and it’s unacceptable that Starmer rolled the red carpet out for him.” A sign was also seen in the protest reading ‘Epstein's BFF’. Additionally, ‘Trump Baby Blimp’ balloons made an appearance, which became an icon of mass demonstrations against his first state visit in 2019.
The rally at Parliament Square featured speakers like former Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, comedian Nish Kumar and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski, who called his state visit "absolutely outrageous”.
Although British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has developed an unexpected friendship with President Trump, the US leader remains a polarising figure. A YouGov poll found that 45% of Britons believe it was a mistake to invite Trump for a state visit, while 30% supported the decision.
