Holding placards and chanting slogans, the protestors called Donald Trump a “complete idiot” who does not understand how the world works. More than 100,000 protestors from all walks of life joined the ‘Together against Trump’ march, which left the US president and his coterie of aides hugely embarrassed.
America’s interventionist foreign policy, hegemonic ambitions, anti-immigrant policies, blatant war mongering and saber-rattling is no secret. But, under Trump, the US has touched a new low, with some foolhardy, incoherent and delusional decisions taken by the ‘madman’ in White House.
A swarm of people who paraded through the streets of central London on Friday sought to convey a strong and clear message to Trump that his shallow, myopic and xenophobic worldview was not going to win him or his country any friends.
It is important to note that Trump's erratic actions and bizarre policy decisions stem from the environment of hostility, hatred and fear that has been fostered and institutionalized in the US over the years. It is not only detrimental to the world order but to his own country as well.
His eccentric and bizarre actions include separating families due to the 'zero tolerance' immigration policy and locking children up in prisons, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionist regime in hopes to crush the Palestinian nation's spirit of resistance; imposing a blanket travel ban on citizens from several Muslim countries due to his deep hatred for Islam (which stems from the realization that the threat Islam, practiced in its truest form, poses to fulfilling his aggressive policies and interests).
He decided to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change, even though an average American consumes almost seven times the average world's energy consumption per capita (all coming from major fossil sources). Hence, America not only refused to be a part of the solution to the greatest problem the world is facing today, but it actually became the source and greatest contributor to it all, and does not want to be held accountable in any way possible.
Trump’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, despite no desirable results on the ground, is an indication that his penchant for war is even greater than his predecessors. His decision to resume arms sales to Riyadh and support Saudi bombardment in Yemen, where the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding, is not only shameful but outrageous.
More recently, he took a unilateral decision to pull out of Iran nuclear deal despite Iran fulfilling all conditions stipulated in the deal as he simply cannot stand the existence of an Islamic republic that will never bow before the American hegemony. He even issued diktats to world powers to stop buying crude oil from Iran, to weaken Iranian economy. Now, Trump is engaged in an ugly trade war with China, which threatens to trigger the global trade war.
These rash policy decisions by Washington did not come from vacuum and most certainly didn't begin when Trump was voted into office in 2016. Trump is only revealing the true and transparent face of the colonial domination, which is at the heart of Western policies. He is proudly carrying forward the flag of American hegemony. What about Obama, who deported millions of immigrants whilst in office, hiding behind his identity as a black man, even though he himself likened the Zionist movement to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, stating that both movements sought to bring justice and equal rights to historically persecuted peoples?
He was once quoted saying: “To me, being pro-Israel and pro-Jewish is part and parcel with the values that I have been fighting for since I was politically conscious and started getting involved in politics.”
We ought to understand why we are protesting against Trump? Why we are attending these marches? What exactly is it that we are protesting? Is it Trump himself or the structural system in place in the US? The answer is simple can clear. We must raise our voice against every leader who becomes a part of problem and contributes to corruption, organized violence and injustice. Sadly, I do not recall any protests carried out against Obama when he was committing crimes in office.
It really should be no surprise to us that someone like Theresa May, who is perpetuating these policies, creating an environment of hate domestically and globally through Britain's aggressive foreign policy, is actually meeting up with someone like Trump.
They are both enemies of peace, justice and humanity. Trump by having countlessly proved that he will cross all boundaries and limits without bothering about their detrimental consequences, and May by dressing up as a wolf in sheep's clothing and implementing such policies, while brazenly appearing on TV screen to wish the Muslims of Britain a 'Happy Eid' or 'Ramadan Mubarak.' We ought to wake up.
MNA/TT