We came in our thousands to stand up to Trump. Now let’s tackle the root causes of Trumpism

By: Nick Dearden
Date: 16 July 2018

Friday was the most exciting demonstration I’ve been to for a decade.

250,000 of us stood up to the divisive, bigoted, climate-change-denying policies of Donald Trump. It was the biggest protest against Trump outside the US to date, which made international headlines.

We showed solidarity with those marginalised groups who bear the brunt of Trump’s attack. And we sent a clear message to our own government – we won’t accept the dangerous actions of the US president, or allow them to be the norm.

We can beat ‘Trumpism’

Yet our protest was never about one man, however powerful. Trump stands for and promotes the politics of hatred, division, fear and intolerance. Today, he is motivating the far right across the whole world. From Turkey to the Philippines, from Italy to India, increasingly extreme right-wing governments are adopting policies like Trump’s.

We will never build a better, more equal, more peaceful or sustainable world while ‘Trumpism’ is so powerful. We must stand against it. And however isolated we may feel as individuals, together we can. Together we can beat this wave of intolerance.

We know that ‘Trumpism’ did not fall out the sky. Many of those who voted for Trump have suffered from the growing divide between rich and poor caused by an extreme and unfair economic system. We can’t just say ‘no’ to Trump, we have to change the approach of profit at all costs that created him.

We fight for change through all of our campaigns. We oppose a trade system which puts the interests of big business ahead of the rights of people and planet. Right now, we are trying to make trade more democratic so we can create trade policies which put people first.

Rather than allowing pharmaceutical corporations to profit while millions of people die and suffer needlessly, we campaign for publicly controlled medical research and development. Rather than using aid money to privatise health and education in Africa, we campaign for decent public services so everyone in the world can enjoy a dignified life. Rather than trashing the planet for short-term profit, we campaign for democratically controlled renewable energy systems.

Building a movement

None of this will happen overnight. It requires building a real movement for change. And that’s core to what we do.

Global Justice Now has been a key part of the Stop Trump coalition of activist groups over recent months. We’ve been building the protest, getting our message out in the media, and working with allies to ensure Trump’s visit will not pass without opposition. And that’s why it’s so important that campaign groups like us exist – we can swing into action rapidly, meeting the biggest challenges we face, and giving hope in dark times.

On Friday in London, and on Saturday seeing the images from Scotland, I was proud to be part of Global Justice Now. We stood up to Trump. We are undermining the causes of Trump. And we can build a better world for everyone. If you want to be part of the solution, join Global Justice Now today.