More than 100 activists from human rights group — Amnesty International — posed as Statues of Liberty outside the U.S. embassy in London on Thursday to mark U.S. President, Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office.
The Statue of Liberty protesters held different messages, including “refugees welcome” and “no ban, no wall,” referring to Trump’s entry ban on citizens of several Muslim-majority states and his plan to erect a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Kate Allen, Amnesty’s UK Director, said ahead of the protest that “it is a crying shame that President Trump cares so little for human rights.
“In the space of just 100 days, President Trump has done untold damage to the U.S. already less-than-perfect reputation for upholding human rights.
“If the Statue of Liberty stands for anything, it stands for willingness to shelter people uprooted through war and intolerance.”
Another protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty stood outside the U.S. consulate in Northern Ireland, while a similar protest was planned at the U.S. consulate in Scotland on Saturday.
Following Trump’s entry ban, nearly two million Britons added their names to an online petition calling for his planned trip to the country to be downgraded from a state visit to avoid embarrassing the queen.
After a debate in parliament, Prime Minister Theresa May’s government said it would stick to its plan to host Trump but reportedly delayed the visit until the autumn.
Trump’s travel ban was blocked from going into effect by a federal judge in Hawaii after a lawsuit challenging the order was filed in the state. (dpa/NAN)
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