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Trump Unwelcome in Britain

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Trump Unwelcome in Britain

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Trump is widely despised at home and abroad, his agenda hostile to what just societies cherish.

The problem is more about America’s system than him. He’s a front man for imperial and monied interests.

It’s worsened by his deplorable agenda, exceeding the extremism of his predecessors, offending most people, including unwanted aliens from the wrong countries (largely people of color and Muslims), the nation’s poor and disadvantaged, environmentalists, human and civil rights activists, and working Americans, most struggling to get by on rotten poor pay/few or no benefits jobs, needing two or more to survive.

On Thursday, Trump arrived in London for a contentious four-day visit. Mass protests will go on throughout his stay, including a most unflattering giant diaper-clad Trump baby blimp flown over Westminster on Friday and the luxury Turnberry resort he owns when he play golf there on Saturday.

He’ll remain in Britain until leaving Sunday for Helsinki summit talks with Vladimir Putin. While in the UK, he’ll be mainly insulated from large-scale protests against him.

StopTrump.orgUK is involved in organizing them. In a letter to London’s Guardian headlined “We stand together against Donald Trump’s toxic agenda,” it called his presidency “every bit as dangerous and divisive as we feared,” adding:

“We are dismayed and shocked by the attempt of the British government to normalize Trump’s agenda. People in Britain never voted for this. It is our duty as citizens to speak out.” 

“We oppose this state visit to the UK and commit ourselves to one of the biggest demonstrations in British history, to make very clear to our government, and to the world, that this is not in our name.”

Separately, the campaign said “Trumpism directly threatens steps towards tackling: inequality, peace and disarmament, climate change, fighting discrimination, particularly against already marginalized groups like migrants and Muslims, and corporate greed.”

“Be part of the fight back,” the campaign urged.

Ahead of Trump’s arrival, he called Britain a country in turmoil, refrained from endorsing the troubled premiership of Theresa May, and praised former Russophobic foreign minister Boris Johnson, a man who disgracefully compared Putin to Hitler.

On Wednesday, StopTrump.orgUK’s Nick Dearden told Sputnik News “we’re looking at…100,000 taking part” in protests during Trump’s visit, “maybe 200,000,” adding:

“This is going to be happening all over the country, so I think added together it will be hundreds of thousands, so I’d say this is probably going to be the biggest week-day protest we’ve had in fifteen years, probably the biggest since George W. Bush came in the middle of the Iraq War.”

“We’re not going out there hoping to change Trump’s mind. We’re going out there for two reasons.” 

“One to express solidarity with those in America who are fighting his administration, particularly those most affected, but also to say to our own government that you can't appease or compromise with a bully like Trump. That’s how he behaves. Everything is an aggressive business deal with him.”

Anti-Trump activism on the scale ongoing in Britain is absent in America, the spirit of resistance too weak and unsustained to make a difference.

Civil disobedience, disruptively challenging the unacceptable status quo, and committed nonviolent revolution for change are the only ways popular struggles can succeed.

Ordinary people have enormous power when mobilized to use it. Voting is a waste of time, accomplishing nothing.

Change for the better requires sustained commitment, withdrawing cooperation, breaking entrenched rules, challenging reprisals, and staying the course.

Struggles for change always occur bottom up, never top down. Powerful interests relinquish nothing willingly. 

Concessions come when forced. That’s what successful popular struggles are all about.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].

 

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

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