The People Vs Donald Trump

The tide is turning in favour of social justice, but the war is far from over. The global rise of the Far Right is a morbid symptom of an economic order that's been in irretrievable crisis since the 2008 crash. The bailed-out system lumbers on zombie-like, kept animated by austerity and racist scapegoating.
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Donald Trump is clearly rattled. It seems he might be planning to sneak into the UK later this month to visit Theresa May. Both leaders have had second thoughts about the formal state visit they had planned for the Autumn, and rightly so. It would have provoked one of the biggest popular revolts in British history.

Earlier this year, Brits rose up in huge numbers following Trump's inauguration, first for the Women's March on 21st January, and then against his racist 'Muslim ban' the following month. The Stop Trump Coalition helped organise two large mobilisations in solidarity with the Muslim community during this period.

What was notable about these demos was how well attended they were by those who had never been to a protest before, particularly the young. The sea of homemade placards above the eyeline signalled that it wasn't just the organised left out in force. This was the beginning of a new, youthful, mass movement ready to resist both Trumpism abroad, and our own government's complicity at home.

To make matters worse for Trump, in recent weeks the political climate has dramatically turned against his obsequious ally, May. The Tories' majority was eviscerated in the general election. This was partly because young people, sick of years of austerity, turned out in unprecedented numbers to vote for change, which they saw in Jeremy Corbyn and the vibrant movement behind him. For the first time in a generation, it feels like the Left is in the driving seat.

Now Theresa May's government hangs in the brink, precariously propped up by a small gang of homophobic bigots, the DUP, Britain's very own Trumpists. Would this coalition of chaos survive an anti-Trump uprising of up to a million strong? I doubt it.

On top of all this, Trump's own regime is in some difficulties domestically. His popularity is in the pits and his embattled cadre of loyalists struggle to rein in a ferociously hostile establishment.

It's no surprise then, that mere days after the stunning British election results, Trump reportedly postponed the October visit indefinitely. If this report is correct (as I believe it is, given everything I've said), it's a victory of people power and a vindication of months of campaigning.

And if Trump and May think they can slip under our radar with an unofficial, snap visit, they're wrong. Although Sean Spicer has denied such a visit is imminent, thousands of us are on standby to mobilise in huge numbers nationwide if the President steps one foot into the UK, whether he visits Aberdeen, Birmingham, London or wherever. If we only get 24 hours notice, that's plenty. We've organised big demos at short notice before.

The tide is turning in favour of social justice, but the war is far from over. The global rise of the Far Right is a morbid symptom of an economic order that's been in irretrievable crisis since the 2008 crash. The bailed-out system lumbers on zombie-like, kept animated by austerity and racist scapegoating. The task before the Left in the days ahead, whether Trump visits or not, is to finish what we've started. We're now in permanent campaign mode, not only to defeat the forces of hate, but to begin to realise a world transformed.

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