London’s Protest Against Donald Trump In Placards

After two cancelled visits and several delays, Donald Trump finally visits the UK as thousands take to the streets in protest.

Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the US President and his wife Melania to a black tie dinner at Blenheim Palace last night to kick off his short visit to the UK. Today, he and the Prime Minister shared breakfast and lunch before holding a joint press conference in which he backtracked on his Brexit comments made in an interview with The Sun.

But as Trump headed off to meet the Queen for tea at Windsor Palace early this afternoon, tens of thousands lined the streets of London in protest. Attendees began assembling in the centre of the capital outside the BBC building in Portland Place this morning before marching on to Westminster.

Protesters expressed outrage and humour in equal measure as thousands carried home-made banners, signs, and placards baring anti-Trump messages. Here are a few of the best.

This is an official protest banner from the Stop Trump Coalition, a collective of individuals and organisations united in their ambition to “Stop Trump”. There’s a very ‘accomplished graphic design meets South Park Canadian’ feel to this one but the message is simple and very effective.

The Donald Trump on this official Amnesty International banner could also be an affectionately illustrated villain from a children’s story book; A disgruntled farmer in an early Peter Rabbit book perhaps, or an aborted E. H. Shepard concept for Christopher Robin’s evil uncle. The cultural references don’t stop there though, It also directly alludes to the famous 1984 horror flick, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’.

Where these placards lack in professional, glossy design, they more than make up for in ‘prepared-at-absolutely-the-very-last-second-possible’ charm. The printer ink is still fresh and the paper is still damp, but the message endures: “CORRUPT. FAKE. PRESIDENT”.

There are at least four too many fonts on this effort, but as home-crafted banners go, there’s high production value here. It’s beautifully neat, doesn’t have a single crease in the cardboard, and has a lovely comic-book bottom illustration with a triumphant “parp” rippling out from between its cheeks.

Sometimes with Trump, subtlety doesn’t work. Sometime you have to turn him into a great big cardboard penis and carry it around central London. That’s exactly what this protester has done and she’s done it well. An honorary shout-out goes to the sign lurking in the background, too.

This (plastic? Wax? Papier-mâché?) Trump is more frightening than the real thing, almost certainly.

“Okay you can take them with you but don’t let them carry rude banners”. But Dad has gone and given them rude banners, hasn’t he? These young’uns are getting into social justice early, but they’ve been beaten to it by the little champ yet to be born, just to the right of the “Humpty Trumpty Will Fall” banner.

This Ode to American pop-art pioneer Keith Haring is bursting with life, and is much more enormous than this photograph would have you believe. It’s a lovely reminder that this march is, in fact, not anti-American but anti-Trumpian.

Among all the “Dump Trumps” and the “You’re wrongs” there were rare pieces of true brilliance, like this “NOT EVEN YOUR WIFE LIKES YOU” number. Potentially the most comprehensive bodying of a sitting US president via placard in history.