While thousands protested across the country, around 100 people assembled at Market Square on Monday evening, where protesters hung a ‘Refugees are human beings’ banner and chanted “shame on Trump”.
The ‘emergency demo’ was in response to Mr Trump’s executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US and took place while hundreds flocked to Cornmarket, in Oxford, to protest.
More than 28,500 Oxfordshire people have signed a petition to ban Mr Trump from entering the UK on a state visit later this year. Nationwide, the petition has garnered the support of over 1.8million signatures.
The event in Witney was set up by Eynsham resident and Witney Refugee Action Group member Patty Dohle, who said Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to properly condemn Mr Trump’s actions.
Speaking in front of an enthusiastic crowd, she said: “She [May] is meant to represent us.
“I want her to know that we are furious and I want her to know that – even in our cosy Cotswold town – this does not pass us by.
“Witney in the past 18 months has shown that we are a passionate community and you have donated mountains to help Syrian refugees and to help Syrian refugees’ families settle in our town.
“It is wonderful but it isn’t enough – and this protest isn’t enough. Every single time we see race hatred we need to speak up loud and clear.”
She said that Britain’s political chiefs are the “perpetrators” and Mrs May’s response saying “Britain takes a different approach” only came “after public pressure…essentially condoning Trump’s hateful actions”.
She added: “Theresa May is of the opinion that what happens in the US does not concern us. She is wrong.
“Our fellow human beings are everyone’s concern, and watching hatred of such proportions silently is legitimising it and allowing it to infect everything.
“I want Theresa May to know that Donald Trump is not welcome here. I want her to know refugees are.
“I want her to know we will not allow weakness and silent complicity to evil define us as Witneyites, Englishmen or citizens in the world.
“I want her to know that we will not permit division and hatred to creep in and become the new normal.
“We are not lying down and just thinking of England anymore – we are standing up and we are thinking of the world.”
Another speaker, Witney Labour Party Mike Parker, described Mr Trump, who intends on building a wall along the Mexico-US border as well as banning Muslims, as a man who will “destabilise the world”.
He called on hundreds of thousands of people to meet in London for Mr Trump’s state visit, which is expected in the summer, to cause ‘as much disruption as possible’.
Owen Collins, 24 of Curbridge Road, called on Witney MP Robert Courts, who was invited but not present at the demonstration, to “publically and immediately condemn the vile, inflammatory, decisive and intentionally prejudice Muslim ban that Donald Trump has inflicted on the borders of the United States”.
The immigration ban, officially known as Executive Order 13769, faced widespread criticism and legal challenges. In Witney, the community’s response included peaceful protests and rallies where citizens expressed solidarity with those affected by the ban. Activists and local leaders spoke out against the executive order, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and human rights.
Protests were not limited to Witney but occurred across numerous UK cities, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, reflecting a global movement against the immigration restrictions. These demonstrations were part of a larger effort to uphold the values of openness and diversity, challenging policies that were perceived as targeting specific religious and ethnic groups unfairly.
