London, Sketsa.id – The grandeur of a British state visit for former U.S. President Donald Trump was juxtaposed with significant public dissent on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

While a formal welcome with horse-drawn carriages and a military parade unfolded at Windsor Castle, thousands of protesters mobilized across central London under the banner “Stop Trump,” organized by a coalition including Amnesty International and Abortion Rights.

The demonstration, titled “Trump Not Welcome,” saw over 5,000 participants march peacefully under the close watch of 1,600 police officers. They carried banners with messages such as “Not Wanted Here, Not Wanted Anywhere,” voicing strong opposition to Trump’s politics.

“I really dislike everything Trump and his administration stand for globally. They are truly awful,” said Bryan Murray, a retiree holding a “Dump Trump” placard, in an interview with Reuters.

Public opinion in the UK appears divided. A recent YouGov poll indicated that 45% of respondents believed inviting Trump was a mistake, compared to 30% who supported the move. This split persists despite warm relations between Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

A spokesperson for the Stop Trump coalition stated the protest served to show that “Britain rejects hatred, division, and authoritarianism.”

In contrast, the scene in Windsor was markedly different. Dozens of Trump supporters gathered to catch a glimpse of the former president. Steven DeFranco, a former New York police officer, was among them, praising Trump for doing “a fantastic job” and calling him “a shining light.”

The scale of this year’s protest was similar to those during Trump’s 2019 state visit but was notably smaller than the massive demonstrations that greeted his first official UK trip in July 2018, which drew crowds estimated in the hundreds of thousands. (*)