Residents formed a demonstration outside the King Richard III Visitor Centre to protest against Martin Traynor inviting the President elect to visit Leicester.
The board of trustees released a statement earlier this week saying: “With President-Elect Trump’s links to King Richard III, we will be inviting him to visit Leicester next summer so he can find out first-hand about his links to the last English king to die in battle and the first to be DNA tested.”
Myheritage.com discovered the link between the American Businessman and the British King in September last year.
Trump is directly descending from the 14th century 1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, who died in 1399 and was Richard III’s great-great uncle.
The demonstration that took place on the evening of November 29 had around 20 people overall stand outside the centre with signs protesting against the invitation.
Chris Williamson, 48, of High fields, one of the organisers of the protest said: “We don’t think it’s right a man who represents an integral institution which is very much part of Leicester’s identity should be actively encouraging an evil man to this city.”
“Someone who has a duty to an institution should not be inviting a man who represents those values.”
There is also a Facebook page “Leicester against Trump” which at time of publication has 60 likes as well as an online petition on change.org with 381 signatures at time of writing.
They were not the only ones to take umbrage to the idea of of Trump coming to the city, people took to Twitter to express their opinions.
@meganrcooke: Apparently trump has been invited to visit Leicester because he’s a distant relative of Richard III. Might go. Might egg him.
@elle_morgan9 Donald Trump lands in Leicester: the city turns in a guerrilla-warfare Home-Alone trap.
Not everyone had such a harsh reaction to Trump visiting the city however; Abi Gibson, 22, a student said: “Honestly I don’t think its a big deal whether he comes or not.
“He has no power here!”
Zara Price,32 from the city centre also had a more positive outlook on the future president coming to Leicester.
She said: “It means Leicester will be talked about globally.
“We’re famously inclusive of all cultures, which is going to be a fabulous contrast to Trump’s fascist agenda.”
