In what will likely plunge the already fraught US-UK ‘special relationship’ into further doubt, the US Embassy in London has felt the need to warn its own citizens over upcoming protests against Donald Trump’s visit this week.
US President Donald Trump is set to land in London on Thursday for a three-day visit to the UK. Demonstrations against his much-delayed visit are planned across the country, with more than 55,000 expected to hit the streets of London.
The US Embassy has now issued a set of guidelines to US citizens ahead of the mass protests, which include keeping a “low profile” and staying alert if in the proximity of the crowds, as they may “become violent.”
The issuing of safety guidelines goes to show just how much the ‘special relationship’ between the two historical allies has soured over the past year.
May first invited Trump when he was sworn in as president back in January 2017. If he does finally make it to the UK this week, it means it will have taken him 18 months to finally land in the country.
News of a potential visit was met with widespread opposition, with up to 1.8 million people signing a petition calling on May to rescind the invitation as it would otherwise be an “embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen.”
Commons Speaker John Bercow also opposed Trump visiting Parliament, citing his “sexist” and “racist” policies.
Stripped of all the pomp of a full state visit, it seems that Trump will largely avoid the streets of London by meeting the PM at her country residence at Chequers, as well as the Queen at Windsor Castle.
In June 2017, Trump reportedly told May he wanted to postpone the visit until Britons supported his arrival. This remark came following comments Trump made about London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the aftermath of the London Bridge terrorist attack, which killed seven.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took the mayor’s side as he tweeted:
The British public’s opposition to Trump saw a crescendo when he retweeted anti-Muslim messages from far-right group Britain First. May publicly condemned him for reposting the inflammatory material.
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