A ‘baby Trump’ balloon has been erected in Parliament square as tens of thousands take to the streets to protest President Trump’s controversial visit to the UK.
Hours after he landed in London for a four-day tour of the UK, President Donald Trump says he feels ‘unwelcome’ in England’s capital and a 20ft ‘Baby Trump’ blimp made in his likeness is to blame.
The inflated giant blimp made headlines after London Mayor Sadiq Khan permitted the controversial balloon to be flown during Trump’s stop in the city.
The ‘baby Trump’ balloon has been erected in Parliament square as tens of thousands take to the streets to protest President Trump’s controversial visit to the UK
As the President woke up in the UK, the blimp soared in the skies above Parliament Square beside a Union Jack flag
Hours after he landed in London for a four-day tour of the UK, President Donald Trump said he felt ‘unwelcome’ in England’s capital and said the 20ft ‘Baby Trump’ blimp made in his likeness is to blame
The President proceeded to throw jabs at Mayor Khan, not only for allowing the baby blimp to fly above protests in London that are set to take place this week during his stay, but also for his criticism on Trump’s travel ban on citizens from predominately Muslim countries
The inflated giant blimp made headlines after London Mayor Sadiq Khan permitted the controversial balloon to be flown during Trump’s stop in the city
Hours after he landed in London for a four-day tour of the UK, President Donald Trump says he feels ‘unwelcome’ in England’s capital and a 20ft ‘Baby Trump’ blimp made in his likeness is to blame
Trump, who arrived in Britain on Thursday, told the Sun newspaper that planned protests against him in London and other British cities made him feel unwelcome so he was avoiding the capital as much as possible.
‘I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London,’ Trump told the newspaper.
‘I used to love London as a city. I haven’t been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?’
Britain regards its close ties with the United States, which it calls the special relationship, as a pillar of its foreign policy and Prime Minister Theresa May has courted Trump ahead of the country’s departure from the European Union.
But some Britons see Trump as crude, volatile, unreliable and opposed to their values on a range of issues. More than 64,000 people have signed up to demonstrate in London against Trump’s visit while other protests are expected around the country.
A few hundred people gathered to watch the blimp launch in Parliament Square, with organisers of the stunt wearing red boiler suits and red baseball caps emblazoned with ‘TRUMP BABYSITTER’.
After counting down from 10 to 1 a cheer went up as the large balloon rose to fly around 10 metres off the ground, next to parliament and the River Thames.
This map shows where protests will take place today. Thousands of people are expected for a Stop Trump march from 12pm in central London followed by a ‘Bring the Noise’ party
Opponents of Donald Trump flew the six-meter blimp depicting the U.S. president as an orange, snarling nappy-wearing baby just outside the British parliament
A few hundred people gathered to watch the blimp launch in Parliament Square, with organisers of the stunt wearing red boiler suits and red baseball caps emblazoned with ‘TRUMP BABYSITTER’
After counting down from 10 to 1 a cheer went up as the large balloon rose to fly around 10 metres off the ground, next to parliament and the River Thames
Organiser Daniel Jones, a charity communications officer aged 26, said they were trying to make people laugh as well as making a serious point. ‘It’s also about giving a boost to those in America resisting his policies,’ he said
One man dressed as a guerrilla and wore a Trump plastic mask, stood inside a large metal cage
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was criticised by Trump for failing to control crime and prevent militant attacks, gave his blessing for the blimp to be flown and rejected suggestions this showed a lack of respect to the U.S. president
‘The idea that we restrict freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the right to protest because somebody might be offended is a slippery slope,’ Sadiq Khan told BBC radio, adding that a protest to welcome Trump was also planned
The Trump Big Baby inflatable Blimp is installed in Parliament Square as hundreds of people look on
The inflated giant blimp made headlines after London Mayor Sadiq Khan permitted the controversial balloon to be flown during Trump’s stop in the city. But the balloon didn’t seem to fare so well with the president
More than 50 events have been planned nationwide in a ‘carnival of resistance’ today, with the balloon kicking things off
Osprey helicopters fly overhead as the 20ft high cartoon baby blimp of U.S. President Donald Trump is inflated
The centerpiece of demonstrations is in protest against Trump’s policies on issues ranging from immigration and race relations to women and climate change
The balloon is intended to be a symbol for all those campaigning against Mr Trump’s controversial policies
Around 9,000 people signed a petition urging authorities in Scotland to grant the same permission for Turnberry as in London
Although he may not be a fan of the blimp, it looks like it’ll be following him as he ventures to Scotland later this week
Protesters are planning to transport the balloon to Scotland overnight to fly it at Trump’s Turnberry golf course, where he is set to play on Saturday
The balloon rose over Parliament Square in central London as part of the protests against the president’s visit
Campaigners plan to transport the 20ft high caricature blimp north of the border after flying it over central London as Donald Trump begins his visit to the UK. They had hoped to fly it over the South Ayrshire golf resort on Saturday to coincide with the president’s visit there
Sadiq Khan defended his approval of the giant ‘baby Trump’ blimp flying above London during the visit by the US President
The city’s Mayor has come under fire after his Greater London Authority approved plans by protesters to fly the balloon in the centre of London during a demonstration against Mr Trump’s visit
Mr Khan insisted there is freedom of speech and freedom to protest in the UK and he could not act as a ‘censor’
‘I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London,’ he added.
He proceeded to throw jabs at Mayor Khan, not only for allowing the baby blimp to fly above protests in London that are set to take place this week during his stay, but also for his criticism on Trump’s travel ban on citizens from predominately Muslim countries, according to USA Today.
‘You have a mayor who has done a terrible job in London. He has done a terrible job. Take a look at the terrorism that is taking place. Look at what is going on in London,’ Trump said.
‘He might not like the current president, but I represent the United States,’ he added.
Piers Morgan asked the mayor if he would have endorsed a giant black baby blimp of Barack Obama in protest during his presidency, or an image depicting Mr Khan as a pig despite that being offensive to Muslims
The 20ft (6m) high inflatable, dubbed ‘Trump baby’, has been granted permission to rise above Parliament Square Gardens for two hours this morning
Mr Khan said he supported the decision taken by the Greater London Authority, adding that it was not for him to be a ‘censor’
Mr Khan and the American leader have engaged in a long-running war of words over issues like crime and terrorism
It is believed that more than 50,000 take to the streets of the capital to protest against the President’s visit
Mr Trump’s schedule will largely keep him out of central London and it seems unlikely that the US president will come close enough to Westminster to see the blimp
Mr Khan said it was important that the UK could be ‘candid’ with the US as a close ally, saying ‘that’s how special relationships work’
Upwards of 10,000 police officers will be deployed to keep the US commander-in-chief and his wife Melania away from trouble during his visit
Its appearance in central London was controversially approved by the Greater London Authority
Matthew Butcher, an anti-Trump campaigner and one of the ‘babysitters’ of the balloon, said: ‘I think that the thing that the Trump balloon does is that it brings an element of fun to the protests, but it also gets under Donald Trump’s very thin skin.’
The balloon, which depicts the American leader as an angry infant wearing a nappy and clutching a mobile phone
The nappy-clad balloon, with a quiff of hair and a mobile phone for tweeting, is to soar over the Houses of Parliament
The ‘Baby Trump’ balloon is pictured here being inflated in London’s Parliament Square
Police Scotland said that protesters are not allowed to fly the balloon at the estate during the president’s visit