Trump July 13th UK visit

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#1
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Mike Harman
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May 17 2018 13:49
Trump July 13th UK visit

At one point I thought they'd permanently put this off, but it looks like it's happening, although maybe it'll get cancelled again. Remember 'UK Stop Trump' (associated with Owen Jones somehow) was advertising for a paid staff member to organise the protest last year which just seemed ridiculous given Theresa May being here all the time.

If he'd visited shortly after the inauguration with mass protests in the US going on, I could see a major protest here, I wonder if they've left it long enough that it'll be smaller if/when it happens. With the TUC thread talking about the benefits and drawbacks of central London demos, realised this will probably be the next one:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donald-trump-uk-visit-dat...

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dark_ether's picture
dark_ether
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May 21 2018 01:37

The South Essex folks had this to say:

https://onuncertainground.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/just-imagine-what-cou...
tldr: They think its the perfect opportunity for mischief outside the centre of the capital!
___

Personally I think If the Trump demo is a bigun, which is still possible, it could be a good chance to get radical literature into the hands of some folks who could be receptive, or create the opportunity for more radical actions.

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rat's picture
rat
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May 21 2018 07:33

Thanks for the link dark_ether.
I'm going to re-post that article on the Surrey Anarchist Communist Group's blog.

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Serge Forward's picture
Serge Forward
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May 21 2018 08:48
on uncertain ground wrote:
The point we’re trying to make, without getting done for incitement, is that a) in situations like this, the left and a fair number of anarchists could do with being a lot less predictable and knee jerk reflexive and b) we need actions that advance our class interests rather than those that make the participants feel good about themselves but have no impact on the real world.

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Noah Fence's picture
Noah Fence
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May 21 2018 10:02
Serge Forward wrote:
on uncertain ground wrote:
The point we’re trying to make, without getting done for incitement, is that a) in situations like this, the left and a fair number of anarchists could do with being a lot less predictable and knee jerk reflexive and b) we need actions that advance our class interests rather than those that make the participants feel good about themselves but have no impact on the real world.

Indeed. I mean, the idea of protesting Trump in and of itself is of course, the usual liberal exercise in futility, but it certainly presents an opportunity. So come on Don, you are invited!

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rat's picture
rat
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May 21 2018 11:21

Spectacular times times indeed!

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rat's picture
rat
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Jun 18 2018 11:54

Any updates on what's happening with this?

Members of Surrey & Hampshire Anarchist Federation and Anarchist Communist Group (Surrey) are likely to be going to the demo.

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dark_ether's picture
dark_ether
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Jun 18 2018 15:50

I'm struggling to get enthusiastic enough to travel across the country for it!

Interested to hear (genuinely) why people think it is a worthwhile endeavour, or rather that a radical communist / anarchist intervention in it is worthwhile?

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wojtek
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Jun 20 2018 00:02

I don't understand why Trump is an exception when there are more reactionary heads of state that May meets and maintains ties with...

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Noah Fence's picture
Noah Fence
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Jun 20 2018 02:04

Coz British liberals love to hate an American

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Uncreative's picture
Uncreative
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Jun 20 2018 11:05
wojtek wrote:
I don't understand why Trump is an exception when there are more reactionary heads of state that May meets and maintains ties with...

Id guess its because no-one on the left supports the US, whereas whatever random reactionary you find from anywhere else will usually have some group of utter pillocks chanting their name and saying the massacres are all CIA psyops.

Plus, the US is the most powerful state in the world, and there are more ties with the US (cultural, political, social, linguistic, etc, plus the totally equal "partnership" of the US/UK internationally, and all the military bases etc,), so it probably seems more relevant than just another random despot in a long line of random despots, and you can probably get out a larger crowd off the back of it.

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Mike Harman
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Jun 20 2018 11:35

There have been small protests against other heads of state visiting, usually in the hundreds or low thousands though:

Modi: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-43833903

Erdogan: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/turkish-president-erdogans-uk-vis...

Bin Salman: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mohammad-bin-salman-saudi...

There's also the question of protesting against these visits when May is personally a reactionary head of state herself too. I can fully see people turning up to the Trump protest with signs about child detention who ignore immigration detention in the UK entirely.

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Entdinglichung's picture
Entdinglichung
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Jun 20 2018 16:15

p.s.: Theresa May is already here

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wojtek
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Jun 21 2018 13:52

^
http://www.irr.org.uk/news/the-business-of-child-detention-2/