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Protests Await Bush in London
Aired November 18, 2003 - 06:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: "Toxic Texan." "Overkill." These are some of the unkind headlines paving the way for President Bush's visit to Britain today. He's due to arrive there sometime this afternoon under heavy guard and much protest.
Let's head live to London and Robin Oakley.
Good morning -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
And certainly, as you say, we've never seen security like this for any visiting leader in London. It was nothing like this when President Vladimir Putin of Russia came here in June. I've never seen so many armed policemen on the streets of London, and there is very heavy security around Buckingham Palace, where President George Bush is going to be staying with the queen.
There are two reasons, of course, for this. One is that there are going to be large demonstrations on the streets from those who protest against the policy in Iraq and who were opposed to the war in Iraq. Secondly, there has been a warning, and London has been on high alert for some time now, that al Qaeda sympathizers, North Africans living in Britain, may mount an attack at some stage, possibly involving a suicide bomber.
So, the conjunction of those two things: the potential demonstrations and a high security threat. With the president arriving, the British authorities are taking no chances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin, are protestors already out on the streets?
OAKLEY: No, we're not really seeing those so far. They're busy in their headquarters putting together an effigy of George Bush, which is going to be put up in Trafalgar Square and toppled symbolically like the statue of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. And they're busy preparing their posters, while the police prepare their countermeasures.
And the protestors have been given one advantage. They were originally going to be banned from marching down Whitehall, which goes close to Downing Street, where the president and Prime Minister Tony Blair will be meeting. But they've now been given permission to march there, which the protestors are seeing as a little bit of a victory for them even before the president's visit begins -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin, we know what the headlines in the newspapers are saying, and we know about the protestors that are going to show up for President Bush's visit. But is sentiment so very negative in Britain?
OAKLEY: No, not entirely, because there's an opinion poll in the "Guardian" newspaper this morning, an ICM (ph) poll, which says 43 percent of those polled approve of the president's visit and only 36 percent disapprove. And the same poll says that 62 percent of Britains believe that America is a force for good in the world.
So, we have to separate out the objections to George Bush and his particular policy on Iraq and the question of there being any anti- Americanism. This is not an anti-American nation. Many Britains have great ties with the United States. There are more Americans living in Britain than in any other country in the world. American culture and American food is much appreciated here.
So, George Bush is representing a nation here. It's not just him. So, plenty of people think the visit is a good idea -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Robin Oakley reporting live from London this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired November 18, 2003 - 06:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: "Toxic Texan." "Overkill." These are some of the unkind headlines paving the way for President Bush's visit to Britain today. He's due to arrive there sometime this afternoon under heavy guard and much protest.
Let's head live to London and Robin Oakley.
Good morning -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
And certainly, as you say, we've never seen security like this for any visiting leader in London. It was nothing like this when President Vladimir Putin of Russia came here in June. I've never seen so many armed policemen on the streets of London, and there is very heavy security around Buckingham Palace, where President George Bush is going to be staying with the queen.
There are two reasons, of course, for this. One is that there are going to be large demonstrations on the streets from those who protest against the policy in Iraq and who were opposed to the war in Iraq. Secondly, there has been a warning, and London has been on high alert for some time now, that al Qaeda sympathizers, North Africans living in Britain, may mount an attack at some stage, possibly involving a suicide bomber.
So, the conjunction of those two things: the potential demonstrations and a high security threat. With the president arriving, the British authorities are taking no chances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin, are protestors already out on the streets?
OAKLEY: No, we're not really seeing those so far. They're busy in their headquarters putting together an effigy of George Bush, which is going to be put up in Trafalgar Square and toppled symbolically like the statue of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. And they're busy preparing their posters, while the police prepare their countermeasures.
And the protestors have been given one advantage. They were originally going to be banned from marching down Whitehall, which goes close to Downing Street, where the president and Prime Minister Tony Blair will be meeting. But they've now been given permission to march there, which the protestors are seeing as a little bit of a victory for them even before the president's visit begins -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin, we know what the headlines in the newspapers are saying, and we know about the protestors that are going to show up for President Bush's visit. But is sentiment so very negative in Britain?
OAKLEY: No, not entirely, because there's an opinion poll in the "Guardian" newspaper this morning, an ICM (ph) poll, which says 43 percent of those polled approve of the president's visit and only 36 percent disapprove. And the same poll says that 62 percent of Britains believe that America is a force for good in the world.
So, we have to separate out the objections to George Bush and his particular policy on Iraq and the question of there being any anti- Americanism. This is not an anti-American nation. Many Britains have great ties with the United States. There are more Americans living in Britain than in any other country in the world. American culture and American food is much appreciated here.
So, George Bush is representing a nation here. It's not just him. So, plenty of people think the visit is a good idea -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Robin Oakley reporting live from London this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
