King Charles and US President Donald Trump on the East Lawn at Windsor Castle during the US President's second State Visit. Photo / Andrew Matthews, AFP
They didn’t quite storm the castle, but protesters did manage to convert part of it into an anti-Trump Jumbotron, a bit of ‘welcome-to-Britain’ trolling that made it clear critics of the American president have no intention of letting him enjoy the pageantry of his state visit in peace.
Within minutes of United States President Donald Trump’s arrival in the United Kingdom, a high-definition projection of images of Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein appeared on a tower wall of Windsor Castle, the main venue for two days of pomp and ceremony.
It was the start of a full day of protests.
Four men were arrested for “malicious communications” in the display that highlighted Trump’s connection to Epstein over the years, and the projection was shut down shortly after it began.
Protesters and activists from several groups had more in store.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in central London for an afternoon march and rally on chilly grey day. Smaller protests continued in Windsor.
Epstein played a central role. A mobile billboard emblazoned with photos of Epstein and Trump and proclaiming “Welcome to the UK Donald” rolled through the streets of Windsor.
In the US, Trump faces anger over his decision to not release Justice Department files on the convicted sex offender.
Once friends with Epstein, the President said they had a falling-out some 15 years before Epstein was indicted on sex-trafficking charges.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week sacked his ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, on the eve of the state visit after Bloomberg News and the Sun published supportive emails Mandelson sent to Epstein; Mandelson now says he regrets his connection to Epstein.
In London, dozens of groups also came out with demonstrations centred on the Gaza war, Trump’s global tariff blitz, racism, abortion and climate change.
A “Trump Not Welcome” march through central London today was followed by a rally in Parliament Square.
“We do not want our government to trade away our democracy and decency,” Zoe Gardner, a spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition, told the Washington Post as activists filled the area around the march’s starting point.
While additional protests were planned in Windsor, just west of London, the large-scale protests were anchored in the British capital.
Activists have a history of taking to the streets during Trump’s visits to Britain.
In 2018, more than 100,000 people joined an anti-Trump rally featuring the now-famous “Trump Baby” blimp. The following year, an estimated 75,000 demonstrators turned out.
Today’s demonstrations did not reach that pitch. The crowd, estimated by police at up to 5000, blocked streets outside of Westminster for the main rally.
Smaller versions of the Trump baby blimp were held aloft. Many protesters carried photos of Trump’s face with a pacifier inserted. Palestinian flags waved above signs depicting the President as a predator and a fascist.
“I had grandparents and great-grandparents that fought in the wars, and I think if I just stayed home today and watch Netflix, I’m as bad as the enemy 100 years ago,” said Louise Richards, 26, standing close to Big Ben and holding an inflatable caricature of Trump.
Jennifer Wallace, 59, a university professor from London, came to the march carrying the same sign she used to protest against Trump’s visit in 2019, a handmade placard reading: “Denying climate change, that’s not cool, Donald”.
Of all the potential criticism to lob at Trump, Wallace said, sticking to the climate was imperative.
“I’m very worried about the impact on American universities, the deportation of refugees, and US foreign policy in relation to Russia and Israel,” she said.
“But ultimately, climate change is the most important issue we face.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a member of the Labour Party who criticised then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a Tory, for hosting Trump in 2019, said he was equally opposed to Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, having him back now.
“Six years later, the tactics we see from today’s White House seem no different,” Khan wrote in an opinion article for the Guardian.
“Scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities. These actions aren’t just inconsistent with Western values - they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.”
Security was high at every location Trump planned to visit. Officials closed the airspace over Windsor Castle, which is less than 8km west of Heathrow Airport. London police said they were deploying more than 1600 officers in the centre of the capital.
Officials organised the state visit to minimise the President’s public exposure.
Most of the pomp and ritual unfolded behind Windsor’s manicured hedges and its stone parapets, which were designed to keep out invading marauders, not modern messaging.
The agenda included a carriage procession through the Windsor estate; a visit to the grave of Queen Elizabeth II, who hosted Trump for his first state visit; and a traditional state banquet.
Tomorrow, Trump will relocate to Starmer’s country estate, another isolated enclave.
The President stayed overnight at the US ambassador’s residence and, according to officials familiar with the schedule, at no point will he address a crowd or travel through central London, where the demonstrations were biggest.
Protesters hope he will at least see them on TV - and they want British leaders to feel their anger over granting Trump an unprecedented second state visit, widely viewed as a play to the President’s ego and a bid to limit his threatened tariffs on UK goods and to prevent him from cutting off aid to Ukraine.
“For a bully and an autocrat to treat the UK as his private theme park, and for our Government to bow down to every demand of Trump is actually painful to watch,” said Alena Ivanova, 37, who works at a charity and was at the London protest today.
“There’s a reason he’s staying as clear from London as he can - people on the streets will say what our government seems unable to: Donald Trump is not welcome here.”
Outside the British Parliament, demonstrators kept the scene lively with speeches, music, flags and chanting.
A baby in a stroller sat beside a sign reading, “I don’t share toys with fascists”. A cavapoo trotted past wearing a “Dogs for Democracy” placard. Some women wore baseball caps declaring “I Miss Obama”, while others opted for “Canada is Not For Sale”.
Sylvia Jones, who had travelled from Ireland to attend the protest, was clutching an inflatable Trump.
“I’m sure it’s an absolute embarrassment for everyone, even the royals, to have to entertain him,” Jones said.
“All the British want is a proper trade deal, which they’re afraid they won’t get unless they treat him like a petulant baby and give him his ride and his gilded carriage - though they’re scared to let him have it in public, in case it gets covered in eggs and tomatoes. But that’s all they want.
“I’m here to express my general dislike of him,” she added, “and to offer my commiserations to the English for having to entertain him.”
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