Stop Trump!

Throughout its 12-year existence, the London Guantánamo Campaign has protested visits by various US presidents to the UK, demanding they close down the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. Donald Trump’s visit in July will be no exception. 

As well as his insistence on keeping Guantánamo open and his threat to send “bad dudes” there, Trump has, at least verbally, also expressed considerable fondness for the use of torture, particularly by the CIA. Most recently, he demonstrated this in his endorsement of Gina Haspel, a known torturer and former operator of a CIA black site, as current CIA chief. 

However, as well as sending a strong message to one of our strongest allies and the media that Guantánamo has to close, we also have to remind the public that the prison is still very much open and 40 prisoners remain there, largely without charge or trial. We will be supporting the mass protest on 13 July welcoming Donald Trump to these shores. While orange is a colour often associated with Donald Trump, it is also the colour of the orange jumpsuits prisoners were once forced to wear. Orange will be the colour of our protest.

We will be joining others protesting a broad range of Trump’s policies because it is undeniable that 16 years of Guantánamo’s operation with little official objection has given impetus to other infamous Trump policies on immigration such as the “Muslim ban” and extending immigration detention.

Aisha Maniar, London Guantánamo Campaign