A giant balloon of “Trump Baby” in a diaper has taken flight over Britain’s Houses of Parliament, kicking off widespread protests planned Friday against the US leader’s controversial visit to the UK.
The orange-hued blimp of President Donald Trump stands at six meters (19.6 feet) tall, and features “small hands, a tiny mobile phone and a giant nappy/diaper,” according to the organizers.
It will fly up to 30 meters (98 feet) for two hours Friday morning, coinciding with the first scheduled protest slated to take place in central London.
Trump arrived in Britain Thursday hours after shrugging off the planned rallies to take place across the country, claiming that he was, in fact, very popular among Britons.
Blimp organizer Leo Murray told CNN the giant balloon had been designed to speak to Trump “in a language that he understands, which is personal insults.”
“It’s bollocks,” said Holly, a protester from London, who gathered at Parliament Square in the early morning to see the balloon inflate. “No one really wants him to be in power … he’s not welcome in the UK.”
The protest also appeared to have support from foreigners spending time in the capital.
Katie, 63, lives near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and came across the protests Friday on her first day of vacation in the UK.
“It’s a great response. I don’t blame them,” she said.
Trump vs. London
Trump’s schedule has been carefully designed to avoid planned protests, but it is understood he is familiar with the “Trump Baby.” Asked if he was concerned about protests during his visit, Trump told reporters in Brussels on Thursday: “I think they like me in the UK,” and said the British people shared his concerns on immigration, claiming “that’s why Brexit happened.”
Instead of holding his meetings in London, Trump will instead hold talks with Prime Minister Theresa May at her country retreat outside the city and take tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle, on London’s western outskirts.
He conceded, however, that he felt unwelcome in the capital, London, in an interview with The Sun tabloid.
The request to fly the blimp was approved by London Mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this month. Khan, who has had a testy Twitter relationship with Trump, gave the unusual request the go-ahead after more than 10,000 people signed a petition.
The mayor has been outspoken in his opposition to Trump’s visit. He criticized the US President over his tweets following the terror attacks in London last year.
Organizer Murray explained that, while some people might be uncomfortable with the idea of ridiculing the US President, he feels that Trump’s policies have created an atmosphere where “normal diplomatic rules have become very much suspended.”
“I feel like once we got to the point where we have a head of state who is suspending due process for some of the world’s most vulnerable people and snatching babies from their parents at the border and locking them in cages — at that point I don’t think we need to be civil to this man,” he said.
Murray said that organizers “don’t really care” if Trump sees or reacts to the blimp.
“It’s about lifting the spirits of the nation and it’s already doing that, you know. It’s just putting smiles on the faces of people who had started to despair about the state of politics,” he said.
Sarah Elliott, chairwoman of Republicans Overseas UK, told CNN she did not think Trump would be fazed by the stunt.
“I think whenever his detractors go after him, it makes him double down and it actually encourages him to keep going and prove everybody wrong,” she said. “So I think that’s the effect the balloon will have,” she said.
Lofty goals
As of Thursday, more than 1,900 people had contributed to a crowdfunding campaign for the balloon, raising more than £30,000 (nearly $40,000). Organizers now say they hope to take the blimp on a “world tour,” following Trump on his international diplomatic engagements.
Murray is not alone in protesting the visit. Trump postponed his trip to the UK several times as a petition to block him from entering the country gained so many signatures that it was debated in Parliament. The speaker of the House of Commons made it clear that Trump would not be invited to address British lawmakers. The petition against Trump claimed an official state visit would be embarrassing for the Queen.
Murray said the blimp protest is also a demonstration against the British government, for inviting Trump against the wishes of the public, citing the nearly 2 million people who signed the petition.
Protests are scheduled throughout the day in London on Friday.
