MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE ASSEMBLED IN BOURNEMOUTH SQUARE IN A PEACEFUL PROTEST AGAINST THE DIVISIVE POLICIES IMPLEMENTED BY US PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP ON MONDAY NIGHT.

As tensions heighten, Bournemouth residents took to the streets, equipped with posters and placards to voice their concerns against the recent policies which have caused mass controversy, particularly regarding abortion, migrants and the media.

The protest between 6-8pm on Monday 20th February, led by, Elizabeth Dunn-Hallet, took four weeks in the making.

Organiser Elizabeth, 32, said: “I saw the protests taking place in London and realised I wasn’t able to attend. Someone had commented below saying that they’d moved to Bournemouth and nothing like this had ever happened in Bournemouth.”

The protest drew in people far and wide, with a differing range of views, from families to students, to pensioners. One elderly couple was reported to have travelled all the way from Salisbury due to the lack of protests in their area.

The protest was organised to coincide in line with similar events around the UK, targeting the US president’s executive order, which prevented migrants from seven countries entering America.

Demonstrators around the UK also urged the Prime Minister to withdraw her controversial invitation of a state visit to Mr Trump, denouncing his travel place as “racist”.

The visit led to a petition, signed by an astonishing 1.8 million people in Britain. Despite the government rejecting it, Parliament is set to debate the petition (Monday, February 20).

Chelsea Vallace, 41, commented on the protest: “It might not make an impact, but it will certainly make a noise.

“It’s not about changing things, it’s showing how many people are against what he’s trying to implement. “

She added: “If your passionate, you should be out here, projecting your voice”.

Bryony Bratchell, 24, said: “One protest alone of this size is never going to make a huge difference, so many protests are going on around the UK, it’s gone to show that people in the UK aren’t standing for his views”.

Protesters projected their voice, expressing their concerns against the current presidency deserving it as ‘scary’, ‘racist’ and full of ‘hatred’.

They voiced that individuals should not be judged by race and religion and humanity should be united as one.

Richard Dunn-Hallett, 31, said: “Everyone has a different viewpoint, however, we all share a similar ideology which is ‘love not hate’ – the current climate edges more towards hate. We are all here to stand up against the hate.”

Protesters brandished placards calling on ‘love not hate’, while one protester’s sign referenced the controversial claims of ‘Fake News’: “Fake News? Fake President”. Protesters also featured slogans such as “ “2,4,6,8, we will not succumb to hate”.

Others in spite of the Anti-Trump protest took the opportunity to voice their support for the controversial president.

Bryony Bratchell, 24, anti-Trump, commented: “To begin with, there were a number of people with pro-Trump signs, I’m glad it didn’t become one vs another, it was supposed to be more about people unifying together”.

A pro-Trump supporter said: “America is in a better place because of Donald Trump. Hail Donald Trump!”

Tens of thousands of anti-Trump protests also took place across dozens of cities around the UK, including Edinburgh, Manchester, Cambridge and Swansea.

Read the original article here: https://nervemedia.org.uk/news/bournemouth-residents-protest-donald-trump/