Donald Trump Walled Off From Protests During UK Visit, as Extra Security Measures Placed
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Thursday, July 12, and waiting for his reception there were walls erected just for his visit. Steel mesh fences, concrete blocks and metal barriers were set up in anticipation of the protest marches planned for his meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May.
Trump, who has made it a priority for his presidential term to build a wall to separate the U.S. from its neighbors in the south, came to the U.K. to his own wall separating him from the locals, as CNN pointed out.
These metal walls — and a bevy of other security measures installed alongside them — are meant to secure Trump's visit from the thousands of protesters expected to gather around Winfield House. The U.S. embassy has already put out an advisory warning Americans to "keep a low profile" throughout their president's visit, and the days following it as well.
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The makeshift fences came with signs that read: "No access -- do not enter. A police security operation is taking place. This includes armed patrols, dog patrols, monitored CCTV and other measures." The fences also came with a warning that any attempt to bypass them "could result in force being used against you, your arrest and/or prosecution."
Trump's four-day visit to Britain will mostly avoid the capital, or any cities that are likely to become gathering grounds for demonstrators for that matter, according to the Guardian. He and the first lady are also expected to be mostly kept away from public eyes and to travel mostly by air, according to the Guardian.
After the first talks with the Prime Minister, Trump called the U.K.'s exit from the European Union an "opportunity" for the two countries. Theresa May, likewise, commented that an "ambitious" trade agreement has been discussed, as well.
