--- description: The U.S. gave me the honor of being the first black Briton to study at Harvard Law School. I cherish its values by marching against Trump. title: I'm a British Lawmaker. Here's Why I’m Protesting Trump’s Visit to the U.K. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt451e6ee774184e75/698934d94ee262955131248a/gettyimages-976173600.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Kingdom](/tag/united-kingdom/) ## United Kingdom Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # I'm a British Lawmaker. Here's Why I’m Protesting Trump’s Visit to the U.K. by [David Lammy](/author/david-lammy/) ## David Lammy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 10, 2018 10:15 AM CUT  A leaflet for a protest against Donald Trump is seen among Labour party flags at the Solidarity Tent at Labour Live, White Hart Lane, Tottenham on June 16, 2018 in London, England. A leaflet for a protest against Donald Trump is seen among Labour party flags at the Solidarity Tent at Labour Live, White Hart Lane, Tottenham on June 16, 2018 in London, England.Chris J Ratcliffe—Getty Images by [David Lammy](/author/david-lammy/) ## David Lammy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 10, 2018 10:15 AM CUT On Friday, a 19-foot “[Trump Baby” balloon is set to float over the Houses of Parliament](http://time.com/5322458/trump-balloon-uk-protest-visit/?xid=tcoshare "undefined") in London, as President Donald Trump makes his first official visit to the United Kingdom. I will be one of tens of thousands on the streets, protesting against our government’s capitulation to this tyrant in a toupee. Usually we do not welcome presidents of the United States in this manner, but this is no normal president. As in much of the rest of the world, Donald Trump is incredibly unpopular in the United Kingdom. According to [Pew Research](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/26/trump-world-global-pew-research-study "undefined"), 89% of Brits see Trump as arrogant and three quarters have [no confidence in him](http://www.pewglobal.org/2017/06/26/worldwide-few-confident-in-trump-or-his-policies/ "undefined") to do the right thing in world affairs. You can’t blame us. Donald Trump has insulted and slandered our capital at its most vulnerable moments. As a representative for some of the most deprived parts of London, I find his description of of my city as a “war zone” because of knife crime not just insulting, but ludicrous—coming from a president whose country has witnessed [more than 7,000](http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/ "undefined") lives lost to gun violence this year alone. When tragedies do occur on Britain’s streets, the president licks his lips at the political opportunity. Last summer, a van filled with [knife-wielding terrorists rammed into crowds on London Bridge](http://time.com/4806833/london-bridge-attackers-what-to-know/ "undefined"), murdering eight people and leaving 48 more injured. Foreign leaders from Brussels to New Delhi shared compassion and support for those hurt, while condemning the killers. Donald Trump’s immediate response? To [slam the reassuring words](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40163567 "undefined") of London’s first Muslim Mayor, Sadiq Khan. Since then, Trump has barely concealed his racist attacks on the U.K . In November, [he shared a post by fascist hate group Britain First](http://time.com/5040627/britain-first-trump-tweet/ "undefined") from his official Twitter account. With this, he debased the memory of my parliamentary colleague, [Jo Cox, who was shot and killed](http://time.com/4571067/jo-cox-thomas-mair-trial/ "undefined") in the days leading up to Britain’s referendum on membership of the European Union, by a murderer who screamed “Britain First” as he committed the violent act. Britain First is an organization whose extreme views can best be compared to the KKK.  Protesters holding placards take part in a rally in Parliament Square against U.S. president Donald Trump's state visit to the UK on February 20, 2017 in London, England. Jack Taylor—Getty Images But then we already know Donald Trump has shown sympathy for white supremacists. We will neither forgive nor forget his [equating of neo-Nazis with their opponents](http://time.com/4942797/donald-trump-tim-scott-both-sides-charlottesville-antifa/ "undefined") at the marches in Charlottesville, Va., last August. In Britain, we are proud people, and much of our national identity is still built upon our defeat of fascism in Europe during the Second World War. We recognize the United States’ vital support at this critical moment, as well in the economic reconstruction of our continent that followed. And so today, to see parts of the U.S. descend into state-condoned racism is to witness an old friend’s soul as it disintegrates. It does not need to be said that our two countries remain deeply intertwined: in culture, in business, in art, and in life. My own career in law and politics owes so much to the U.S., which gave me the honor of becoming the first black Briton to study at Harvard Law School. The land of the free has overwhelmingly been a force for progress around the world. When [Martin Luther King Jr.](http://time.com/5197679/10-historians-martin-luther-king-jr/ "undefined") spoke of his dreams for emancipation in the 1950s and 1960s, he empowered black people far beyond America’s 50 states. When [John F. Kennedy’s cool head prevented nuclear armageddon](http://time.com/3858844/mad-men-historical-events/item/the-cuban-missile-crisis-oct-nov-1962/ "undefined") over 50 years ago, the whole world breathed a sigh of relief. And when Barack Obama gave America hope so recently, many of us in the U.K. said “yes, we can,” as well. Britain and America share common values that have formed the basis for the liberal, democratic world order. Through international institutions, we have made the planet safer. Through trade and technological advancement, we’ve made the human species richer. But I do not march in spite of these shared achievements, I march because of them. The [president’s threats to NATO and the U.N.](http://time.com/5319626/trump-nato-summit-military-spending-germany/ "undefined") are no more logical than arson. His trade wars with the E.U. and China could trigger the next great economic crisis of our times. Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath. He is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long. It is because I cherish and champion those values that this Friday, I will march with London against Donald Trump. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5333087/david-lammy-trump-uk-visit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5333087/david-lammy-trump-uk-visit/"},"headline":"I'm a British Lawmaker. Here's Why I’m Protesting Trump’s Visit to the U.K.","datePublished":"2018-07-10T10:15:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:57:41.988Z","description":"The U.S. gave me the honor of being the first black Briton to study at Harvard Law School. I cherish its values by marching against Trump","url":"https://time.com/5333087/david-lammy-trump-uk-visit/","keywords":["United Kingdom","london","Donald Trump","President Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt451e6ee774184e75/698934d94ee262955131248a/gettyimages-976173600.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Lammy","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/david-lammy/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt451e6ee774184e75/698934d94ee262955131248a/gettyimages-976173600.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"labour-donald-trump-protest","caption":"The Labour Party Holds A Festival Of Arts, Politics and Music","creditText":"Chris J Ratcliffe—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-kingdom/","name":"United Kingdom"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5333087/david-lammy-trump-uk-visit/","name":"I'm a British Lawmaker. Here's Why I’m Protesting Trump’s Visit to the U.K."}}]}] ```