LONDON: Armed with signs and shouting slogans, thousands of anti-Donald Trump protesters descended on central London on Wednesday to decry the US president’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK.

London’s Metropolitan Police estimated that there were around 5,000 people at the protest, which culminated in a rally in front of parliament.

With Trump receiving the red-carpet treatment at Windsor Castle, around 22 miles (35 kilometres) west of London, demonstrators marched in the heart of the British capital to display their disdain on the first full day of the trip.

“We’re protesting, I suppose, about everything about Donald Trump. You don’t know what placard to carry, really, there’s so many things” to dislike, former teacher Dave Lockett, 67, told AFP.

“He’s sowing destruction and disorder throughout the whole Earth… If Trump’s ideas get into this society, then what we’re talking about is fascism in Britain,” he added.

Left-wing lawmakers, including new Green Party leader Zack Polanski, were among those to address the crowds in Parliament Square at the rally hosted by well-known comedian Nish Kumar.

“We are gathered here united to say this is not in our name,” Polanski said of Trump’s invitation from the ruling centre-left Labour government.

“This is the moment to challenge everything Donald Trump stands for. This is the moment to reject the politics of hate and division.”

‘Hiding’

Protesters had first massed early afternoon near the BBC’s headquarters, holding aloft an array of banners, flags and signs, covering everything from support for the Palestinians to rejecting fascism.

Amid a cacophony of drumming, some demonstrators had recreated smaller versions of the giant balloon depicting Trump wearing a nappy, which was famously flown during his first state visit in 2019.

Yashi Sriram, a doctor originally from India, turned out with a placard reading: “End the genocide. Stop Trump.”

“I just wanted to show support for the people of Palestine, really, more than anything else,” said the 32-year-old.

A group called the Stop Trump Coalition organised the demonstration, with a broad alliance of organisations sponsoring it, including Amnesty International UK, Black Lives Matter UK, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Greenpeace.

The coalition questioned why Trump would spend so little time in London during the visit.

“Because he knows we’re protesting against him,” the group said in a statement ahead of the march.

“Instead, he’ll be hiding and having a sad little carriage ride all by himself in Windsor with a parade that no one will even see. This is because of the power of our protest.”

Those at the evening rally repeatedly chanted: “Say it loud, say it clear: Donald Trump is not welcome here,” as various speakers railed against him.

Trump unpopular

London’s Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,600 officers — including 500 brought in from other forces — to ensure the event passed off without incident.

A purported counter-demonstration failed to muster, and there were no reports of disorder or arrests.

A lone protester, surrounded by police, displayed a sign reading: “We Love Trump,” sparking boos as anti-Trump campaigners marched past him.

Trump remains deeply unpopular in Britain, with new polling on Wednesday showing almost half of respondents thought it was wrong to invite him for a second state visit.

Only a quarter believed it would improve UK-US relations, according to the YouGov/Sky survey.

London mayor Sadiq Khan, who allowed the unflattering Trump baby blimp to fly during the American president’s first-term visits, has been a persistent critic amid a years-long feud.

Khan wrote Tuesday in The Guardian: “Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years.”

An estimated 150,000 people attended a weekend rally in London organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with 26 police officers injured in clashes on the event’s fringes.

In the article, Khan — the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when he was first elected in 2016 — accused Trump of “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities”.

“These actions aren’t just inconsistent with western values — they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook,” he wrote.

At the gracious invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, paid a state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 25/3/1447H, corresponding to 17 September 2025.

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received the Prime Minister of Pakistan at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. Both sides held an official session of talks in the presense of both counrties’ delegations. At the outset of the session، His Excellency the Prime Minister of Pakistan conveyed his greetings and warm wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The two sides reviewed the historic and strategic relations between both countries, and a number of topics of common interest.

Building on the historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defense cooperation between the two countries, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan signed the “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement”. This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.

His Excellency Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to him and his accompanying delegation. His Excellency also conveyed his best wishes for the continued well-being of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and the continued progress and prosperity, for the brotherly people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In turn, His Royal Highness extended his warm wishes for the good health and well-being of His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and for further progress and prosperity for the brotherly people of Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities expanded their crackdown on internet accesson  Wednesday, severing fibre optic connections in multiple provinces in what officials said was a campaign against “vice”.

The move, ordered by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, has effectively shut down high-speed internet in several regions over two days, leaving tens of thousands without access and sparking concern among locals.

In northern Balkh province, fibre optic internet was completely banned on the leader’s orders, provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said Tuesday.

“This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on X.

An AFP correspondent confirmed that internet access in Balkh was now only possible via the telephone network, which is disrupted with all operators affected.

AFP correspondents reported the same restrictions in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, as well as in Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan in the south.

Government spokespersons and the Ministry of Telecommunications did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

Fibre optic is the most widely used technology in Afghanistan, an employee of a private operator in Kabul told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that he was unaware of the reasons behind the measure.

“If these connection problems are not resolved, we will suffer great losses,” said Atta Mohammed, a marble contractor in Kandahar.

“If we don’t respond to emails from our clients in Dubai and India on time, we won’t be able to continue our business. I haven’t slept a wink.”

The measure has not yet been implemented in southeastern Nangarhar, but provincial spokesperson Qureshi Badloun said he expects nationwide implementation “in the coming days”.

“Recent studies conducted in Afghanistan show that online applications have negatively affected the economic, social, cultural, and religious foundations of society and led it towards moral corruption,” Badloun said in a statement released Tuesday.

In 2024, Kabul had touted the 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network — largely built by former US-backed governments — as a “priority” to bring the country closer to the rest of the world and lift it out of poverty.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have instituted numerous restrictions.