Organisers of the Together Against Trump movement had hoped for the ‘biggest demonstration in British history’, but numbers fell well short of the 250,000 who were claimed to have taken to the streets.
The final number could have been less than 10,000, according to a police source in Parliament Square.
Those that did attend left behind piles of discarded placards in the streets, adding a clean-up bill to the costs of 3,000 police officers who attended the event.
The total security costs of policing protests against the US President’s visit could top £25million, according to reports.
The protest saw some ugly scenes.
One President Trump supporter had a milkshake thrown over him and was branded “Nazi scum” before being pushed and shoved by anti-Trump supporters.
Mr Corbyn only described the American entourage as “visitors” and preached his own world vision, talking about the future of the NHS, climate change and the refugee crisis.
He was also labelled a hypocrite for avoiding Mr Trump by not attending a state banquet on Monday night after requesting a meeting with the President that was rejected.
The Labour leader has previously attended meetings with Hamas and Hezbollah by insisting of the need for dialogue and had no problem attending a state banquet in honour of China’s communist leader Xi Jinping.
Great Britain should welcome its closest ally with open arms
Police had been drafted in from across the country for the event, with another source saying they had started their shift at 5am and that the rest of London had been left thin on the ground during the demonstrations.
A ring of steel met protesters in Parliament Square, as police on horseback stood in front of metal barricades.
Behind that was another line of officers, who were spread all the way down to the George Duke of Cambridge Statue in Whitehall.
A 20ft Trump blimp was briefly lifted into the air over Parliament before being punctured by a British Trump supporter.
Video: Trump supporter BURSTS childish Baby Balloon in London
Many protesters carried placards and banners branded with obscenities and some of the speakers addressing the crowds called the US President a “racist”, a “sexist” and a “war-monger”.
Demonstrators were barred from marching down Whitehall afterwards and were instead told to reach Parliament by walking along the Embankment.
Much like the Trump Baby Balloon, the whole protest fell flat.
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