#BridgesNotWalls - Protest banners dropped from bridges in Leeds ahead of Trump inauguration

Protest banners bearing the words #BridgesNotWalls have been dropped from bridges in Leeds today ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration.
PIC: Anna VickerstaffPIC: Anna Vickerstaff
PIC: Anna Vickerstaff

The action is part of the Bridges not Walls project, a partnership between grassroots activists and campaigners working on a diverse range of issues, formed in the wake of Donald Trump’s election.

The banners were drapped from the A58 near the University and at Leeds Bridge.

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The initiative began as the brainchild of ice cream man and homeless shelter worker Will Stevens in the aftermath of the shock US election result.

PIC: Anna VickerstaffPIC: Anna Vickerstaff
PIC: Anna Vickerstaff

Nona Hurkmans, Bridges not Walls spokesperson said: “On Trump’s inauguration day we’re taking action to show our support for groups under attack – here in the UK, across Europe and in the USA – and to reject the rise of a dangerous and divisive far right politics. We won’t let the politics of hate peddled by the likes of Donald Trump take hold. What happens next is up to us and by standing together we can show that the rhetoric of fear and hate have no place in our society.”

Guy Chater from the Leeds, said: “We wanted to participate in Leeds to show solidarity to all groups whose lives are literally threatened by the politics that Trump and the far right represents. One of the banners has a comedic overtone, but it is part of our resistance. We are here to show that we will continue to challenge hatred and attempts to divide us with hope, defiance and unity. Leeds is a city for everyone and we will keep it that way”.

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