British activists wasted no time in making their disapproval of President Trump’s state visit known, greeting his arrival with dramatic protests. They projected an image of Mr. Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein onto the historic walls of Windsor Castle and unfurled a massive banner of the same picture across the castle’s grounds.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in London on Tuesday night, with a packed schedule for Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where they were to be hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Mr. Trump was also slated to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence, Chequers, on Thursday.
Authorities swiftly intervened to halt both political stunts, leading to arrests in connection with the projection. Spokespeople for the group behind the banner stated their objective was to embarrass the president by drawing attention to his former association with the convicted sex trafficker.
The large banner was organized by ‘Everyone Hates Elon,’ a group previously responsible for similar protests in Britain targeting billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk.
Beyond the on-site demonstrations, Mr. Trump’s visit, where he faces considerable unpopularity in Britain, also prompted Channel 4, a public broadcaster, to schedule a special program. This special aimed to fact-check his questionable presidential claims, anticipating a significant demonstration in central London on Wednesday.
His previous state visit in 2019 also attracted large crowds of protesters, all conveying a unified message: He is not welcome in Britain.
In recent months, Mr. Trump has faced renewed scrutiny over his connections to Mr. Epstein, who was arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019 before his death in prison. Recently released documents further detailed the financier’s ties to Mr. Trump, who has consistently dismissed the Epstein case as a ‘hoax.’
The banner displayed by ‘Everyone Hates Elon’ measured approximately 65 feet long and 65 feet wide, funded by roughly 2,000 crowdsourced donations, according to the group’s spokeswoman.
The images of Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein were reportedly projected onto Windsor Castle’s towers by another activist group, ‘Led By Donkeys,’ known for similar past actions. These images were also shared on the group’s Instagram account.
Felicity Parker, the chief superintendent of the Thames Valley Police, confirmed that officers ‘responded swiftly to stop the projection,’ arresting four individuals on suspicion of malicious communications, a minor offense.
On the initial day of Mr. Trump’s state visit, protesters were expected to converge in London, planning a march towards Parliament Square.
Wednesday evening saw Channel 4 broadcast several hours of what it described as Mr. Trump’s ‘untruths, falsehoods and distortions’ since January, interspersed with thorough fact-checks.
Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer, expressed hope that the special would ‘remind viewers how disorientating and dangerous the world becomes when the most powerful man on earth shows little regard for the truth.’