Mass protests disrupt Trump's UK royal visit

Thousands of people marched through London on Wednesday to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to Britain while a much smaller crowd gathered outside the royal Windsor Castle west of the capital to give him a warm welcome.

Trump was paying Britain an unprecedented second state visit, and was treated to displays of royal pageantry, including a carriage procession in Windsor and a grand military parade.

While all that was happening, a 'Trump Not Welcome' protest took place 25 miles (40 km) away in central London organised by the Stop Trump Coalition and supported by other organizations including pro-Palestinian activists.

"I quite simply dislike everything that Trump and his administration represent around the globe. (They are) absolutely awful," said Bryan Murray, a retiree, who attended with his wife and held a placard reading 'Dump Trump'.

Unlikely friendship

While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has struck up an unlikely friendship with Trump, the president still divides public opinion. A YouGov poll showed 45 percent thought it was wrong to invite Trump, while 30 percent said it was the right move.

Four people were arrested on Tuesday after images were projected onto Windsor Castle of Trump alongside sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - an issue that could surface during the visit after Starmer sacked his U.S. ambassador over Epstein ties last week.

More than 1,600 police officers were deployed to deal with the protest, which moved peacefully toward parliament and featured banners reading: 'Not Wanted Here, Not Wanted Anywhere' and 'Trump, a big step back on the evolution of man'. Police said around 5,000 people took part.

A spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition said the rally was a chance to show the government and the world that "Britain rejects hate, division and authoritarianism".

The turnout on Wednesday was similar to that seen for Trump's previous state visit in 2019 but much lower than for his first official visit to Britain as president in July 2018, when estimates varied between tens of thousands and 250,000.

Earlier in Windsor, a few dozen Trump supporters turned out to see the president arrive at the castle, including one man wearing a cap that read: "Trump was right about everything".

Trump meets Starmer on Thursday for talks designed to focus the U.S. leader's unprecedented second state visit firmly on global affairs rather than domestic political problems.

The U.S. president and Starmer will celebrate the unveiling of a 150 billion pound ($205 billion) package of U.S. investment into Britain.

The deals, covering areas such as technology, energy and life sciences, will offer a renewal of the so-called 'special relationship' between the two nations, something Starmer has worked hard to cultivate since Trump became leader in January.

Perils

The meeting is not without perils. Later on Thursday, the two leaders will hold a press conference, when journalists could quiz both over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer was forced to sack Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. last week after his close ties with Epstein were documented and Trump's relationship with the late financier has also come under scrutiny.

On Israel, the British leader is under pressure to raise the assault on Gaza with Trump, who has expressed frustration over Israel's air strikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar but overall has been supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump has also criticised some European countries over their decision to recognise a Palestinian state as "rewarding Hamas", although he told reporters he did not mind Starmer "taking a position".