New coalition pledges to Stop Trump – and drive hatred out of British politics

• Unprecedented range of politicians, trade unions, campaigners and NGO forms “a new kind of political movement” against Trump and his hatred following mass demonstrations
• When Parliament debate Trump’s state visit on 20th February, tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets in protest at attacks on migrants’ rights.
• Coalition plans biggest ever UK demonstration in response to Trump’s visit, and to drive hatred out of British politics

Stop Trump, the organisation which organised huge emergency demonstrations across Britain on January 30th, has established a new movement, promising an unprecedented wave of protests against Donald Trump’s state visit.

The Stop Trump coalition was officially formed at a meeting on Thursday. Attendees included MPs, celebrities, major trade unions, dozens of grassroots campaign groups, Muslim and anti-racist organisations and several NGOs. Many of the same organisations are listed as signatories to a statement published one week earlier.

The coalition is now building for a massive day of action on February 20th for migrants’ rights, on the same day that the 2-million strong petition against Trump’s state visit is debated in parliament. The day of actions is jointly coordinated with One Day Without Us, and will seek to push back against the growing anti-migrant sentiment in the country, highlighting the contribution that immigrants have made for decades. Dozens of actions (around 50 at the last count) are planned across the country, including a rally in Parliament Square which is expected to draw tens of thousands.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:
“There should be no open arms welcome for Donald Trump. When running for the White House he made the most appalling sexist and racist comments, and those same vile sentiments are now shaping the executive orders he’s signing as President. Protecting him from the inevitable protesters will cost millions – something the cash-strapped UK can ill afford.”

Riz Hussein, from the grassroots youth movement Jawaab, said:
“This movement is about more than the Islamophobia and the racism of Donald Trump. It is about holding up a mirror to our own government’s attacks on Muslim communities, its disgraceful record on refugees, and a growing wave of anti-migrant and anti-muslim hatred in the wake of Brexit. Allowing Trump into the UK further normalises his Islamophobic and xenophobic ideas. The UK government needs to stand up and do more to keep Muslims, and migrants and all communities of colour safe – saying no to a state visit from Trump is a first start.”

Singer Paloma Faith said:
“I’m backing the protests because I believe in human rights and compassion and Trump evidently does not.”

Asad Rehman, from Friends of the Earth, said:
“The clock is ticking on our ability to tackle the multiple crisis of climate change and inequality that already blight the lives and livelihoods of so many around the world. President Trump’s climate wrecking agenda and his politics of hatred threaten all of us. Our only hope for a better, more equal and safer world rests in opposing all those that seek to divide and turn us against each other.”

Matt Carr, a spokesperson for 1 Day Without Us, said:
“February 20th is an unprecedented opportunity to take part in a national day of solidarity with migrants in the UK and across the world. One Day Without Us has been organising as a response to the increasingly hostile environment generated by British politicians, and being matched by Trump’s own rhetoric towards migrants in the States. February 20th is an opportunity to celebrate the men and women who have given to UK society in so many different ways, and that have never been fully recognised.”