Donald Trump baby balloon: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:24, 15 July 2018
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 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| Donald Trump baby balloon | |
|---|---|
| A large balloon in the shape of an orange baby wearing a nappy, with a snarling mouth and tiny hands holding a mobile phone | |
| Artist | Matt Bonner |
| Completion date | July 2018 |
| Medium | Plastic inflatable |
| Subject | Donald Trump |
| Dimensions | 6 m (20 ft) |
On 13 July 2018, during an official visit by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to the United Kingdom, an inflatable caricature of Trump was flown in Parliament Square in London, in protest at his visit and policies.[1][2] A quarter of a million protestors attended.[3]
The balloon was also flown in Edinburgh the following day, during Trump's visit there, but permission to fly it near Trump's Turnberry golf course was refused by Police Scotland.[4]
Construction
The 6-metre (20 ft) tall, helium-filled plastic inflatable, also referred to as a "balloon" or "blimp", was designed by Matt Bonner and constructed by Imagine Inflatables of Leicester.[5] It was made after a crowdfunding campaign on crowdfunder.co.uk[6] raised the £16,000 cost of its creation and deployment.[4] It depicts Trump as "an angry orange baby"[2] wearing a nappy[4], with a snarling mouth[7] and tiny hands[8] holding a mobile phone.
Use
Permission from the Greater London Authority (GLA), Metropolitan Police and National Air Traffic Service was required for the balloon to be flown in Parliament Square, the space above which is considered restricted airspace.[9] Permission was granted, allowing it to be flown, while tethered, up to 30 metres (100 ft) high, for up to two hours.[5][10][9] Both the GLA's 'City Operations' team and NATS stressed that the nature of the protest did not play a part on their decisions.[11]
Following its appearance in London, the balloon was subsequently taken to Edinburgh, where it was flown in The Meadows, a public park near to the city centre, as part of the protests against Trump's two day visit to Scotland,[12] permission to fly the balloon near Turnberry golf course having been refused.[4]
Motivation
One of the organisers, Max Wakefield said, "This is about the rise of far-right politics that dehumanizes people in order to get into power [and] an attempt to introduce some good British humour into the political discourse surrounding Trump's visit."[10] Wakefield cited the Trump administration's family separation policy and Trump's withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate agreement as examples of the kind of polices which the protest was targetting.[10]
Leo Murray, who led the campaign, wrote, "So when Trump visits the UK on Friday the 13th of July this year, we want to make sure he knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him. That's why a group of us have chipped in and raised enough money to have a 6 meter high blimp made by a professional inflatables company, to be flown in the skies over Parliament Square during Trump's visit."[13][14]
Reactions
Opinions on the balloon were divided. When it appeared that GLA permission might not be forthcoming, thousands of people signed an online petition calling for it to be granted.[10]
Opposing the protest, Drew Liquerman, a spokesman for Republicans Overseas, said, "Frankly it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing for the people flying it, for the British residents of London and for people in the UK."[15] Nigel Farage said the demonstrations was a "step too far" and "the biggest insult to a sitting US president ever".[16]
Trump said, "I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London."[17]
References
- ^ Burke, Dave (13 July 2018). "Inflatable Donald Trump baby blimp is now flying high over London". mirror. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ a b Yeginsu, Ceylan. "'Trump Baby' Balloon Takes Flight, as Protests in U.K. Take Off". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-visit-london-protesters-stage-one-of-uks-biggest-rallies-in-years-11436281
- ^ a b c d "Turnberry ban for 'Trump Baby' balloon". BBC News. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ a b Doyle, Liam (13 July 2018). "Trump baby balloon: Who is behind the balloon mocking Donald Trump in London?". Daily Express. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ " Trump Baby
- ^ "Donald Trump angry baby balloon to fly over London during UK visit". The Australian. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ Khan, Shehab. "Everything you need to know about the giant baby Trump balloon". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ a b O'Grady, Siobhán (5 July 2018). "A giant blimp depicting Trump in a diaper is likely to greet the U.S. president when he visits London". Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d Penman, Maggie (5 July 2018). "London Mayor Says 'Trump Baby' Blimp Can Fly In Protest Of President Trump's Visit". NPR.
- ^ "Reality Check: The rules on protest balloons". BBC News. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ Collier, Hatty (14 July 2018). "Trump baby balloon: giant blimp takes to the sky above Edinburgh after being transported from London". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ Sandhu, Serena (5 July 2018). "Sadiq Khan's office gives giant 'Trump Baby' permission to fly over anti-Donald Trump protest". The Essential Daily Briefing. Johnston Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
The petition: Make Trump Baby Fly. Donald Trump is a big, angry baby with a fragile ego and tiny hands. He's also racist demagogue who is a danger to women, immigrants and minorities and a mortal threat to world peace and the very future of life on earth. Moral outrage is water off a duck's back to Trump. But he really seems to hate it when people make fun of him. So when Trump visits the UK on Friday the 13th of July this year, we want to make sure he knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him. That's why a group of us have chipped in and raised enough money to have a 6 meter high blimp made by a professional inflatables company, to be flown in the skies over Parliament Square during Trump's visit.
- ^ "After Popular Uproar, 20-Foot-Tall Angry Trump Baby Blimp Gets Okay to Fly Over London During President's UK Visit".
- ^ "'Trump Baby' balloon sparks online row". BBC News. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about the giant baby Trump balloon". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ "Trump complains baby balloon makes him feel 'unwelcome' in UK". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
External links
- Trump Baby Balloon Steals Spotlight During London Protests on YouTube (July 13, 2018), CNBC