The Latest: Thousands In Central London Anti-Trump Protest

LONDON — The Latest on protests in Britain against U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit (all times local):

5:10 p.m.

Tens of thousands of protesters are swarming the streets of central London to protest Donald Trump’s first visit to Britain as U.S. president.

Aerial views broadcast on British media showed densely packed crowds filling the shopping district near Oxford Circus before a rally at Trafalgar Square.

Organizers of the Together Against Trump mass demonstration estimated that more than 100,000 protesters had joined the march by mid-afternoon Friday.

Protesters chanted “Donald Trump’s not welcome here.” Among them was actress Laura Carmichael, who played Lady Edith Crawley in TV Series Downton Abbey.

The Together Against Trump march followed the Women’s March earlier Friday, when protesters banged pots and pans and sang songs like “We Are Family” amid a carnival atmosphere.

There were numerous signs poking fun at Trump, including “No Fan of Fake Tan Man” and “How Dare You Combover here.”

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2:30 p.m.

The lawyer who represents adult film star Stormy Daniels has joined thousands of protesters at a central London protest march against U.S. President Donald Trump.

Michael Avenatti said he wanted to send a message to “our brothers and sisters here in the U.K. and around the world that not all Americans support this president, there’s millions of Americans that are outraged by his conduct and by his behavior.”

Avenatti said he was invited to Friday’s demonstration and also wanted to be there to represent nearly 140 mothers and children who remain separated by Trump’s immigration policies.

Trump started a four-day visit to the U.K. on Thursday.

The lawyer added: “This family separation has no place in the world, let alone in the United States of America. It’s an absolute outrage.”

Daniels has said she had sex with Trump in 2006, when he was married. Trump has denied it.

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1:40 p.m.

Tens of thousands of people are marching in central London in the first wave of a whirlwind of protests against the visit of U.S. president Donald Trump, accusing him of torture, misogyny and racism.

Carrying placards reading “Dump Trump,” and “Can’t comb over sexism,” joyous crowds blew whistles before starting from Portland Place heading toward Oxford Circus. The main protest is set to begin later Friday

Phil Bond, 65, a musician, says that he knows that it is unlikely that the demonstrations will make any difference to the president, but he believes people in the United States will notice. He says he just wants to add “my little drop of water to the 50 gallons.”

Many protesters used humor to convey their opposition. One sign read “Trump wears poorly tailored suits,” while another proclaimed: “Overcomb Brexit.” One man was selling rolls of “Trump toilet paper” emblazoned with a picture of the president

More protests are planned in Windsor, where the Trumps will meet the queen later, and in Scotland, where the president plans to spend the weekend at one of his golf courses.

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11:20 a.m.

Hundreds of people in London have crowded under a balloon depicting Donald Trump as a screaming baby as protests across the U.K. accompanying the U.S. president’s arrival got underway.

Some 16 balloon minders in yellow vests identifying themselves as “babysitters” minded lead lines to the 6-meter (20-foot) inflatable as the curious gawked and took pictures.

Dominique Blum, 31, and Mia Parker, 50, from Pensacola Florida, were overjoyed with the spectacle.

Parker says she hopes the protest will encourage more people to get creative and organized in protesting Trump’s policies. She says “it’s brilliant. I just want to party with these people forever.”

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9:30 a.m.

Demonstrators plan to mock U.S. President Donald Trump with a giant balloon depicting him as a screaming orange baby as tens of thousands march through the streets of London to protest the American leader’s visit to the U.K.

The diaper-clad balloon infant, with a quiff of hair and a mobile phone for tweeting, is to soar Friday over the Houses of Parliament in London. It’s the centerpiece of demonstrations across the country protesting Trump’s policies on issues ranging from immigration and race relations to women and climate change.

Kevin Smith, one of the 16 people behind the balloon, says “this is what people need to be doing — to come together in their communities to organize and work out how to stand against right wing populism and xenophobia that we’re seeing not just in the U.S. but in Europe.”

Protest organizers say they plan to stage demonstrations in some 50 cities around the U.K.

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9 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain is one of the biggest operations for police in recent years, requiring similar resources to the 2014 NATO summit in Wales.

Protests are planned Friday in some 50 U.K. cities. In London, a screaming orange baby balloon will be featured in the anti-Trump protest.

The 20-foot (6-meter) tall balloon’s creators, who call themselves babysitters, admit they borrowed the idea from comedian Jon Stewart, who in 2016 called Trump a “man-baby.” A crowd-funding campaign raised 20,000 pounds ($26,400) to make it a reality.

Matthew Bonner, one of the organizers, says “depicting Trump as a baby is a great way of targeting his fragile ego, and mocking him is our main motivation.”

He says Trump “doesn’t seem to be affected by the moral outrage that comes from his behavior and his policies. You can’t reason with him but you can ridicule him.”

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