Over the decades, the city of Portsmouth has hosted D-day anniversary events with dignity and sensitivity. Its citizens have fond memories of meeting veterans who embarked from the port in June 1944 and of rubbing shoulders with royals and world leaders at commemoration ceremonies.
Ahead of this year’s events there is excitement and pride as the city prepares to welcome elderly survivors on the 75th anniversary of D-day, on 6 June, but for many it is tinged with concern and anger at the presence of one particular visitor, Donald Trump.
“He is bound to change the feel of the event,” said office worker Si Jones, who was picnicking in the sunshine next to the military-style metal fence that has been erected around a section of Southsea Common in the city to protect Trump and other world leaders.
“That barrier sums it up really. It’s as if he’s bringing his own wall to keep people out. The problem is that he always sucks up the attention wherever he goes and this event definitely shouldn’t be about him.”
Portsmouth will take centre stage on 5 June, the day before the actual anniversary. A national commemorative event, run by the government, will be held on Southsea Common in the presence of more than 300 D-day veterans.
The story of the Normandy landings will be told through testimonials, music and military displays, with veterans also boarding a ship to France to attend events there.
Members of the public will be encouraged to watch the event from large screens on the common but many have said they will not bother, either because they disapprove of Trump or feel excluded by the ring of steel.
The leader of Portsmouth city council, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, made headlines around the world when he argued that Trump’s presence would take the focus away from the most important people: the veterans and their families.
As the event draws nears, the council has tried to demonstrate diplomacy. Steve Pitt, the cabinet member for culture and city development and a Southsea resident, said the anniversary should not be about personalities.
“This is about visiting heads of state who are representing their countries. Whatever my personal views about Donald J Trump, the fact is he is the president of the USA and it is the office of the USA president that is commemorating and marking 75 years since D-day.”
Pitt conceded previous anniversaries had been much more inclusive; many residents, for example, recalled with fondness Bill Clinton’s visit for the 50th anniversary, when he charmed the crowds.
However, Pitt insisted the metal barrier was not just for Trump. “It’s not about one person. Other heads of state will be here. The world has changed a lot in the 25 years since Bill Clinton came, and not for the better. The security situation is very different.”
At the Fratton community centre, members of groups, including Stand Up To Racism, Love Music Hate Racism and the Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign, were discussing plans for a demonstration under the banner Together Against Trump.
“This is no place for Trump,” said Waldemar Maxim, who came to Portsmouth from Germany as a refugee almost 60 years ago. “I’m not saying Trump is a fascist but he has created an environment for fascists to operate in. D-day was all about fighting fascists.”
Frances Alyson, who works with refugees and asylum seekers, recalled with fondness a previous Southsea Common event when the Queen attended and how excited children were to be able to get close to her. “That won’t happen this time.”
Claire Cahm was preparing to set up an anti-Trump banner on the roof of her house, in the hope it catches his eye as he flies in. “I don’t suppose he will see it but it’s my gesture,” she said. “We all have to do what we can. I hope it’s rainy and windy so his hair flies around everywhere.”
JR, a Californian studying international relations and politics in Portsmouth, said he wouldn’t be attending. “I kind of half came here to get away from the guy,” he said. “It feels a bit creepy that he’s followed me here. I know a couple of other Americans who are interested in going and seeing him. But most people I hang out with will be elsewhere that day.”
A petition from Together Against Trump, calling for his invitation to Portsmouth to be cancelled, has attracted more than 47,000 signatures – but the group accepts its task is a delicate one.
They want to protest against the US president but do not want to risk their target appearing to be the veterans, so they are planning to hold their rally a couple of miles from the common, in Guildhall Square. They will sing songs, make speeches and lay a wreath.
Other groups may not have the same hesitation and Hampshire police is gearing up to deal with protesters from across the UK on the common. There are bound to be some who try to get as near the “Trump wall” as they can.
Not all Portsmouth locals are against Trump, of course. Sam, who has just opened the Coffee Cabin on the common, close to the wall, was more conciliatory. “Trump is controversial but at least he’ll bring more attention to the city. And more business for us.”
And the council is keen to point out it’s not all about Trump, with many other non-government events and projects to mark the anniversary.
One moving project is the setting up of 119 plaques in memory of the local men who died on D-day. The plaques are set up at, or as near as possible, to the homes they left in 1944.
Among them is a plaque, in Jervis Road, to Pte Robert Johns, who died in France aged 16 and is believed to have been the youngest British soldier to die in the second world war.
“It’s a very touching tribute,” said Johns’ niece, Jenny Ward, who will attend the D-day event on the common. “I think it will be an emotional day. It’s a big thing for Portsmouth.”
She said the veterans’ Facebook group she was part of was buzzing with chat about Trump. “I’m not very fond of him. I think it’s all the barricades people have taken offence over. The downside is the security but as the president of the USA he has a right to be there.”
John Duke, 98, one of the veterans who will be at the event, agrees. “It’s important we remember what happened,” he said. Asked what his abiding memory was, Duke said: “Most of the time I was wondering whether I would make it or not. My main thought was to carry on with the job and hope it would work out.”
He accepts not everyone is a fan of Trump. “But I think it’s good that he will be there. They are our great allies and he is the president of one of the greatest nations in the world.”
