Tom Gibson, Bradford Socialist Students
Socialist Students is holding campaign stalls and events to protest Donald Trump’s state visit later this year, during which we want to help organise thousands of students walking out of lessons in protest.
We oppose Trump’s state visit for a variety of reasons, firstly his policies at home have been radically anti-working class and pro-rich. His recent economic plan has been a massive series of cuts to programmes that help working-class Americans to fund his vanity projects and tax cuts for the rich. Millions could lose foodstamps and millions more could lose healthcare coverage.
His policies on immigration have included inhumane treatment of both documented and undocumented immigrants, including politically motivated deportations of socialist and pro-Palestinian activists. Trump’s trademark bigoted social policies have also targeted LGBTQ+ people, particularly the trans community.
Texas floods have killed, the result of extreme weather made worse by climate change, and Trump tells bosses to “drill baby, drill.”
All in all, Trump’s presidency has been a nightmare for ordinary people in America and internationally too, Trump also supported the Israeli genocide in Gaza and helped Benjamin Netanyahu bomb Iran.
This disgraceful combination is why we are organising for a student walkout in solidarity with young people and workers in the US. Keir Starmer does not represent the public in welcoming Trump to visit Britain. The so-called special relationship does not benefit the workers of either country. Opinion polls show that Trump is rightly despised by the majority of people here, particularly young people, yet Starmer in typical fashion is going against the will of the people to benefit himself and the bosses.
In pushing for this walkout, we are showing the ruling class of both Britain and the US that the young people of both are horrified by Trumpism and Starmer’s embrace of it, and that we offer a hopeful alternative of economic and social equality. We want to show all the victims of Trumpism that young people here stand with them as they fight against it.
Join Socialist Students in our Youth Walkout Against Trump campaign:
- Organise a meeting at your school, college or uni
- Discuss with your friends and classmates – invite them to a meeting, it could be in a classroom, cafeteria or even a local cafe
- Make a social media graphic to share, posters to put up, and leaflets to distribute to get people along
Organise a protest on Day X
- Once we know the date of Trump’s visit to parliament, put out a time and place for the protest
- Bring a megaphone and banners, make up some chants, and invite some speakers to explain why they are protesting
Join Socialist Students
- Be part of an organisation fighting for socialist change at schools, colleges and unis
- Visit socialiststudents.org.uk/join or call 020 8988 8761 or text your name and school, college or uni to 07515 921699
