Protests greet Trump’s royal welcome in UK

Thousands gathered in London to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s state welcome at Windsor by King Charles III, the second British state visit for the American leader. Organized by the Stop Trump Coalition and joined by Amnesty International, abortion‑rights groups and pro‑Palestinian activists, the march drew about 5,000 participants who walked peacefully toward Parliament, brandishing banners such as “No to racism, no to Trump,” “Trump, a big step back on the evolution of man,” and slogans condemning his positions on Gaza, abortion, immigration and the environment. Demonstrators framed their opposition not only around policy but also around what they described as authoritarian tendencies.

A much smaller contingent of Trump supporters assembled outside Windsor Castle to watch the royal welcome. The ceremony featured full state pageantry: a carriage procession, a royal salute, the U.S. national anthem, a guard‑of‑honour inspection by the Welsh Guards, a military fly‑past and a lavish banquet hosted by the king. Britain billed the event as the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit in living memory, underscoring the “special relationship” that Trump called “eternal and irreplaceable.”

Security was extensive. More than 1,600 police‑officers were deployed in London and Windsor, and four protesters were arrested after projecting images of Trump alongside convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle. A YouGov poll cited in media reports showed 45 % of Britons opposed the invitation, versus roughly 30 % who supported it, highlighting a divided public mood.

The visit also served as a platform for a £31 billion Tech Prosperity Deal covering U.S. investment in British artificial‑intelligence, quantum technology, cloud infrastructure and civil nuclear energy, framed by both governments as a cornerstone of future economic cooperation. While the diplomatic agenda proceeded with speeches, lunches and the state banquet, the parallel demonstrations illustrated the sharp domestic criticism Trump continues to provoke in the United Kingdom, turning the state visit into a vivid clash between tradition, high‑level diplomacy and widespread public dissent.