Press release: UK Stop Trump Coalition plans protests in second Trump presidency
The UK’s Stop Trump Coalition has released a statement on the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, pledging to “mobilise in our thousands and our millions”.
It has been signed by more than a thousand grassroots campaigners, trade unionists, climate activists and others.
The group organised some of the biggest protests in British history in response to Trump’s state visits in 2017 and 2018.
Protests are expected in London and across the world today as Trump is sworn in.
Zoe Gardner, a spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition, said:
“In the coming weeks, we are likely to witness appalling attacks on migrants and minorities in America – just as we saw with the racist ‘Muslim ban’ in the opening days of the first Trump administration in 2017.
“It is essential that there is a broad, democratic coalition which can bring together the opposition to Trumpism – and to the new far right here in the UK.
“That means mobilising in big numbers, but it also means working to network and strengthen movements on climate, anti-racism, migrants’ rights, feminism, LGBT rights and other touchstone issues, alongside the trade union movement and the left.
“We will look to respond to the Trump administration’s first policies and to bring together the resistance to the politics of bigotry and division in the US and around the world.”
The statement, which has been signed by more than a thousand people, reads:
“The second inauguration of Donald Trump is a dark moment. The far right is on the march, with a common agenda of right-wing nationalism, racism, sexism, LGBT-phobia, climate denialism, union-busting, authoritarianism, and elite impunity. They represent the interests of a wealthy elite who use bigotry and dishonesty to divide us against each other. No matter Trump’s claims, illegal occupations and crimes against humanity continue – whether perpetrated by Israel in Palestine or by Russia in Ukraine.
“We are not shocked by this situation. Trump and Musk – and Farage and Badenoch – are symptoms of the failure of our political and economic system. Free market economics and austerity laid the ground. By failing to challenge the far right on immigration and other key issues, and instead mirroring their rhetoric and narratives, Starmer – like Macron, Harris and Scholz – is handing victory to the far right.
“During Trump’s first presidency, the Stop Trump Coalition helped organise some of the biggest demonstrations in British history against his state visits. There are millions of people in the UK who want to fight back against the far right, stop runaway climate change, and stand for just peace across the world. There will be mass opposition to political cooperation with the Trump administration, and to any trade deal that threatens our NHS or food standards.
“Fighting back means mobilising in our thousands and in our millions – but it must also mean a more fundamental effort to unite and strengthen movements dedicated to social and environmental justice, working class organisation, and universal human and civil rights. We pledge ourselves to that work, and to building a resistance to Trump and the politics he represents.”
ENDS
NOTES
1. For more information email press@stoptrump.org.uk
2. The Stop Trump Coalition was founded in 2017 in response to the first Trump administration’s ‘Muslim ban’ and went on to organise protests of hundreds of thousands in response to Trump’s state visits to the UK