Thousands of people are expected to march through central London today to oppose Donald Trump’s visit to the UK.
The US President and First Lady, Melania Trump, touched down in the UK last night, with the pair landing at Stansted Airport.
Trump’s second official trip to the UK was off to a rocky start after someone decided to light up Windsor Castle with images and video of the US president and Jeffrey Epstein projected onto the wall.
Follow rolling coverage of Donald Trump’s state visit on Metro’s live blog
While the Trumps are getting ready to travel to Windsor Castle for a state banquet hosted by King Charles today, London is gearing up for a large-scale protest organised by the Stop Trump Coalition.
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The ‘Trump not welcome’ demonstration will set off from Portland Place before a march to Parliament Square, with support from dozens of human rights groups, unions and campaign groups.
Met Police said it has drafted in 500 extra officers from other forces, while over 1,600 police will patrol during the demo.
Here is the route for the anti-Trump demonstration in London today.
The march will set off from Portland Place near Marylebone at 3pm and move towards Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus.
People have the option to take the accessible version of the route, which will meet at the top of Whitehall (SW1A 2DY) at 4.30pm to march to Parliament Square for 5pm, or join directly at Parliament Square.
A spokesperson from Stop Trump Coalition told Metro: ‘Thousands of people will march through London today in protest of Donald Trump’s undeserved second state visit.
‘But Donald Trump won’t be in London — why? Because he knows we’re protesting against him. Instead, he’ll be hiding and having a sad little carriage ride all by himself in Windsor with a parade that no one will even see. This is because of the power of our protest.’
They called for Starmer’s government ‘to grow a spine’ and stand up to Trump and ‘stand up for democracy.
Those wanting to catch a glimpse of the famous Trump baby blimp will be disappointed as campaigners confirmed the giant balloon won’t be flying at the protest today.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Louise Puddefoot said: ‘Around 50 protest groups are expected to gather together in central London on Wednesday, on what will be another busy day for officers. The Met is used to delivering complex and large-scale policing operations to keep the public safe, and we have a comprehensive plan in place.
‘We have been in close contact with the organisers to ascertain their intentions, and we have engaged with local businesses and community representatives to understand the impact on them. We would ask all those taking part in the protest to be considerate to the local community, and ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
‘We will approach this protest as we always do, policing without fear or favour, and ensuring that people can exercise their lawful rights, whilst being robust in dealing with crime or disorder.’
The Stop Trump protest must end by 7pm, the police said.
Today’s demonstration comes after London was rocked by a far-right Tommy Robinson rally, which saw over 100,000 people march through London to Whitehall.
Dozens of people, many draped in flags, clashed with the police as they tried to breach the neutral zone separating them from the anti-racist counter protest organised by Stand Up To Racism.
26 police officers were injured in the disorder with protesters from the ‘Unite the kingdom’ march, with 11 people wanted by the force after incidents and assaults.
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