Nigel Farage has claimed anti-Trump protestors' plans to fly a blimp portraying Donald Trump as a big baby is the 'biggest insult to a sitting US president ever'
Mr Farage aimed his criticism at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who granted permission for the 20ft inflatable to fly above Parliament Square Gardens on July 13
The former UKIP leader weighed in on the debate on Thursday, saying allowing the blimp to fly during Trump's visit was 'a step too far' and 'ridiculous'
However, some Twitter users disagreed with Mr Farage, with one remarking: 'JFK getting shot in the head is probably more insulting than a flying a balloon
'Another added: 'Obama endured an endless bombardment of racist caricatures for eight years
'One said: 'Think there have been bigger insults to sitting presidents.from peanuts to bullets
' Four US Presidents have been assassinated while they were in office, including Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James A
Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901 and John F. Kennedy in 1963. Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt in 1981 but survived
Speaking on LBC, Mr Farage said: 'Let me ask you, does any of you seriously think that if an application to fly an Obama blimp, of Obama as a young, crying baby above Parliament Square when he came here during the referendum to tell us to vote remain, do you actually think that would have been allowed? 'You can't stop people from protesting, expressing their opinion, but I do think there's a never ending war of words, and it does cut both ways because the President invites a fair bit of it
'But this never ending war of words between Sadiq Khan and Donald Trump is frankly ridiculous
'I say to the Mayor of London, you might not like Mr Trump, you might not like his style, you might find him very confrontational
'But Sadiq, where were you when Obama introduced a total ban on refugees coming from seven predominately Muslim countries?'He went on to claim he didn't see the outrage and protests over President Obama's policy, compared to Trump's
Mr Farage added: 'To allow this blimp is a step too far.'Mr Khan and Mr Trump have engaged in a long-running war of words over issues like crime and terrorism
The row between the pair began last June when the US President accused Mr Khan of having a 'pathetic' response to the London Bridge terror attack
He tweeted: 'At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack,' the president wrote on his personal Twitter account, 'and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!' Speaking about Mr Trump's visit earlier this year, Mr Khan said: 'I think there will be protests, I speak to Londoners every day of the week and I think they will use the rights they have to express their freedom of speech
'But they must be peaceful, they must be lawful.' He added: 'As the Mayor of London it's probably inappropriate for me to join a protest when foreign leaders come into the UK
'It's important though for me not to be scared to express my views about some of the things he's said
'It's ironic that the architect of the hostile environment policy in this country has invited the architect of the hostile environment policy in the USA to London
Huge protests are expected in London for the first full day of Mr Trump's visit, which will begin next Thursday night when he flies in from the Nato summit in Brussels
His three day trip is thought likely to include a dinner with business figures at Blenheim Palace, meeting the Queen at Windsor and talks with Theresa May at her country retreat in Chequers
Mr Trump is also thought to be keen to play golf at his courses in Scotland.The programme is being designed to ensure Mr Trump avoids London and the expected angry protests
He cancelled a trip last year for fear of demonstrations. Around 50,000 people are expected to march from the BBC building in Portland Place to Trafalgar Square as part of the 'Stop Trump' protest
.The group stated: 'If we can troll Donald from the skies wherever he goes for long enough, he'll start seeing "TrumpBaby" in his dreams
' Donald Trump UK visit: Everything you need to know Donald Trump will finally fly into the UK for his first visit as US President next week
Mr Trump will arrive in Britain on Thursday night following a high stakes Nato summit in Brussels at which EU allies fear he could threaten the alliance
A major row over defence spending could overshadow his visit to the UK. Once he reaches Britain, he is expected to stay for three days for a 'working' visit
The trip is not the full State Visit Theresa May offered last year but he is expected to meet the Queen
Because it is a working trip, he is covering his own costs - though Britain will spend millions on security
Why did Trump cancel his UK visit in February 2017? Theresa May first invited Trump to the UK after she visited him days after his inauguration, becoming the first foreign leader to see the new President and Scotland Yard Chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe let slip that Trump would be visiting in June,In February 2017, it was revealed that Trump had decided to delay the visit amid snubs from MPs and in order to avoid protests
In addition to this, the trip was again postponed because of widespread dismay of his travel ban on citizens from Muslim-majority countries
Trump was also due to come to the UK in February of this year to open the new US embassy, but a poll revealed that 4 percent of people, around two million, said they would join a protest if he was given a full state visit
Is Melania coming to the UK with Trump?It is expected that the First Lady will join her husband in the UK
Will Trump meet the Queen? Windsor Castle is set to be closed to the public on July 13, suggesting that this is when Trump will meet the Queen, but details have not been confirmed
Ambassador Woody Johnson told Sky: 'Yes, yes, I mean he has to see the head of state
'Putting his foot on British soil, it's job one, it's very important, very symbolic
Meeting Her Majesty is the most important thing, because she's the head of state, and from then on, it'll be what the president wants to do
'The Coldstream Guards, the oldest regiment in the British Army, are also rumoured to honour the Trumps on their arrival but Buckingham Palace has not confirmed the arrangements
What will Trump discuss with Theresa May?Trade tariffs are expected to be the most discussed topic during Trump's visit to the UK, especially after a call with the President left Theresa May branding his decision 'unjustified'
A statement released after this phone call said: 'The prime minister raised the US decision to apply tariff to EU steel and aluminium imports, which she said was unjustified and deeply disappointing
'The prime minister said the US, UK and EU are close national security allies and we recognise the importance of the values of open and fair trade across the world
The prime minister also underlined the need to safeguard jobs that would potentially be affected by the decision
'May and Trump are also thought to talk about the President's border policy after the Prime Minister said that the policy was 'inhumane'
May told MPs in the Commons last week that 'when we disagree with the United States, we tell them so
''But we also have key shared interests. It is right that we are able to sit down and discuss those with the president - a president of a country with which we will continue to have a long-standing special relationship
' Will Trump play golf on his UK visit?Trump may spend a couple of days at the end of his visit at one of his golf courses in Scotland or the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen
However, this decision has not been welcomed by the country's politicians.Scotland has told the UK government that it should foot the president's £5 million security bill if the President should choose to visit a golf course, before he travels to Helsinki to see the Russian president Vladimir Putin
Scotland's Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf wrote to UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid and said that the country does not want to settle the bill
He tweeted: 'He is coming as a guest as the UK government, they must not leave Police Scotland with a £5m bill
'When is Donald Trump's next visit to the UK? Trump's next visit has been planned for the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May 2020
Speculation also suggests that Trump will be in the UK for when Britain officially leaves the EU on March 29, 2019
Revealed - full details of Trump's UK trip: US president won't make ANY public appearances in London as he meets May at Chequers and the Queen at Windsor on visit with MelaniaDonald Trump will not make any public appearances in London when he comes to the UK next week - amid a massive security operation
The US president and First Lady Melania will touch down in Britain on Thursday for his first visit since entering the White House
Huge protests have been threatened that could see 50,000 take to the streets of the capital, while a big orange 'Baby Trump' blimp has been given permission to fly
The bill for the American leader's three-day trip is expected to be around £30million as 10,000 police officers are deployed to keep the US commander-in-chief from trouble
Trump's £1.2 million Cadillac 'The Beast' has been flown over in one of the world's largest military planes - the Super Galaxy C5
Meanwhile US Navy carrier, the gigantic USS Harry S Truman, will dock in the south coast as back up
However, fresh details of the long-awaited visit issued by Downing Street confirm that Mr Trump will spend only minimal time in London
Instead he will be feted by Mrs May at a dinner for business leaders being held on Thursday night at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the ancestral home of his hero Winston Churchill
The next day he will have tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle and talks with the Prime Minister at her country retreat, Chequers
Mrs Trump, meanwhile, will be given her own sightseeing tour, hosted by Theresa May's husband Philip
It has also emerged that Mr Trump will spend the majority of his three-day trip in Scotland, where his mother was born and where he owns two golf courses
Many Tory MPs are delighted that Mr Trump is finally coming to the UK. There is a growing backlash against the anti-Trump protests, with more than 10,000 people signing a petition calling for a blimp of London Mayor Sadiq Khan to be flown above London next week
Asked whether the President was aware of planned protests, the US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson said: 'I think we are all aware of these things but the President is focused on what his objectives are
'He appreciates free speech, both in this country and in our country. It is one of the things that bind us together
'This is a short trip. It is absolutely packed with things that he has to do. There is a lot of organisation and planning that went into it
'He will be spending a lot of time in central London, using that as a base. 'The President is not avoiding anything
The President is merely trying to get as impactful a trip as he can get in a 24-hour period
' Downing Street denied the itinerary was deliberately designed to shield Mr Trump from the public
A spokesman pointed out that several other leading figures had been hosted at Chequers in the past, including US presidents Richard Nixon and George W Bush, and, last year, French President Emmanuel Macron
The spokesman said the Prime Minister was 'looking forward to making sure the president has the opportunity to experience the UK beyond London'
But the itinerary means Mr Trump will be unable to tick of some of the highlights he had indicated he wants to, including a visit to Buckingham palace and a tour of the Cabinet War Rooms
No 10 defended the right of the public to protest peacefully, but added: 'The majority of the British people understand the importance of the UK-US relationship
'Mr Trump will arrive in Europe on Wednesday where he is expected to read the riot act to European leaders about their failure to spend more on defence
When the summit finishes on Thursday he will fly straight to the UK, accompanied by a huge security operation
The US President, who has a love of ceremony, will be greeted in the stately home's Great Court by the bands of the Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards, who will play the Liberty Fanfare, Amazing Grace, and the National Emblem
During dinner, the Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra (part of the Corps of Army Music) will perform a series of classic British and American hits
He will then travel to Winfield House for the night. The mansion stands in 12 acres of grounds in Regent's Park – the second biggest garden in central London after Buckingham Palace – and will be crawling with armed security guards on the night of Mr Trump's visit
On Friday morning, President Trump and Mrs May will watch a joint military training exercise involving British and American forces before heading to Chequers for a working lunch
Talks are expected to focus on the US-EU trade war, post-Brexit trade, Nato and security co-operation
But Mrs May will also come under pressure to tackle the US President over controversial domestic policies, like the caging of immigrant children, and his inflammatory remarks about women and Muslims
Sources said they expected the talks to be 'full and frank'. Downing Street is nervous about the visit, particularly as it comes sandwiched between what looks set to be a fractious Nato summit and Mr Trump's extraordinary planned summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki
Relations between the two leaders have cooled dramatically since last year's love-in at the White House when Mrs May invited the new US President for a full state visit just days after he was sworn in
In a Channel 4 documentary, to be aired on Monday, a senior official at the US embassy in London talks about the strained relations that now exist
Matt Goshko, the deputy head of public affairs, said: 'It is no secret that there is some concern about the relationship between the Prime Minister and the President
'Next week's visit will lack the pomp and ceremony of a full state visit. Royal involvement will be limited to tea with the Queen on Friday afternoon at Windsor
The Trumps will then fly to Scotland where the President is expected to play a round of golf at one of his courses with a celebrity
He is also expected to meet Nicola Sturgeon.The President will fly directly from Scotland to Helsinki for his meeting with Mr Putin, which has alarmed Nato allies
Along with the mass police presence, summer breaks for key intelligence officers have been scrapped and security clearance is granted for US agents in Downing Street
The president is taking no chances as he brings in an arsenal of military hardware and his most tough and trusted staff
Trump's £1.2 million Cadillac 'The Beast' has been flown over in one of the world's largest military planes - the Super Galaxy C5
Meanwhile US Navy carrier, the gigantic USS Harry S Truman, will dock in the south coast as back up
A twin rotor Osprey V22 aircraft will be onboard along with Black Hawk helicopters in case the president needs to be extracted quickly
The $4.5billion US carrier, used recently in Syria, was designed to 'project American presence and power off any coast' according to the US navy
The nuclear-powered vessel - which weighs 97,000 tons - is almost as long as the Empire State Building at close to 1,100 feet
Below the deck hums a small city of over 5,500 people.The early staged are already underway with a week to go under the gargantuan security operation
The first of Trump's bodyguards arrived at RAF Lakenheath, a US Base in Suffolk, last week
Ahead of his visit, the president's personal Sikorsky helicopters, code-named Marine One will arrive
They are expected to be joined by two decoy craft. Britain is still on high alert for a terror attack with hundreds of people linked to terror groups being watched across the nation
A 'walk through, talk through' exercise has been carried out on all routes planned on the trip - so security officers can look for potential weaknesses and cover potential strike areas
The US will send around forty intelligence officers to work directly with the SAS
A senior security source told the Daily Mirror: 'This visit has been planned for a long time, from heavily armed police and plain clothes special forces sat in unmarked vans to a secondary high readiness force and RAF Chinook helicopters sat on the edge of the capital
'The US are pouring resources into the UK in what will be their biggest ever security operation to this country
'Trump is probably the most divisive US President to come to the UK and as such his presidency has sparked widespread spite and hatred, given his aggressive foreign policies and his touch stance domestically
'He faces multiple threats and that is why the operation to protect him is so vast
'
No comments:
Post a Comment