Protesters set up ‘No Trump Zone’ in Paris as US President meets Macron

A Texan couple who left the US as “refugees” after Donald Trump was elected President were among hundreds of people protesting against his visit in the French capital in stark contrast to the warm official welcome.

Destini and Michael O’Neill joined hundreds in a designated “no Trump zone” in the Place de Republique to listen to music and speeches as the President sat down to a luxurious dinner in the Eiffel Tower.

“We’re essentially refugees in Paris,” Ms O’Neill said. “We left Texas because Mr Trump won the election.

“We want to stand with Paris to say we support the fact Mr Trump is an illegitimate President – he does not represent America.”

Demonstrators held “hell no” and “not my President” signs at the event as bands played republican anthems, in one of a series of protests marking Mr Trump’s visit.

Emmanuel Macron has been seeking to woo his counterpart with a tour of monuments including Napoleon’s tomb, visit to the Élysée Palace and dinner at the exclusive Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower with their wives.

The pair vowed to maintain the alliance between France and the US and said they discussed working together on issues including the fight against Isis and Paris climate change agreement following a bilateral meeting.

But protesters in the Place de la Republique were angered by Mr Macron’s decision to extend the invitation, despite his ideological differences with Mr Trump, widespread public disdain towards the US President and continued scandal over alleged Russian backing for his campaign.

“I just want to make sure Mr Trump doesn’t have a good time in Paris,” said Francesca Humi, a 22-year-old British-French citizen. “Even though this is a diplomatic visit it’s not ok.”

Friend Sonia Larbi-Aissa, a US-French citizen, said she was surprised by Mr Macron’s invite given his previous “political posturing”, adding: “It’s hypocritical and we’re calling them out on it.”

Lucianne Tonti, from the Paris Against Trump campaign group, said the protest hoped to act as a counterpoint to the warm official welcome given to the US President.

“There’s diplomacy and then there’s a huge parade and a grand reception on the biggest holiday for the year,” she added.

Sylvestre Jaffard, another member of Paris Against Trump, said the progressive image projected by Mr Macron abroad was not being supported by his actions at home, including his planned changes to labour laws and support for France’s continued state of emergency.

“We want to show that Mr Trump is not welcome anywhere on the planet, and that we’re not happy with this invitation,” he added.

The “no Trump zone” rally was set to go on into the early hours, with fresh protests planned later on Friday.

It followed another demonstration at the symbolic Place des Etats-Unis – the former site of the American embassy and home to numerous memorials to the alliance between the two nations.

Around a hundred demonstrators held banners and sung chants including “hate doesn’t make America great” and “hey, ho, Donald Trump has got to go”.

Reed Kennedy, an American expat who described himself as a Democrat voter, said Mr Trump’s policies “appeared to be incompatible” with French values.

He was not holding out hope that Mr Macron could convince his counterpart to perform any significant U-turns on controversial policies including withdrawing from the Paris climate change deal and travel ban.

“He doesn’t change his stripes,” Mr Kennedy said. “Mr Trump has already been ostracised by 99.9 per cent of the world – I don’t think Mr Macron is going to get him in a room and change his mind.”

The US President claimed “something could happen” with the Paris accords following the bilateral meeting, but a press conference saw the pair dominantly seek common ground, downplaying previous barbs and evading questions on the scandal engulfing the White House over Donald Trump Jr’s meeting with a Russian lawyer.

Mr Macron said the ties between France and the US go “deeper and further than who we are”, adding: “The presence of President Trump was, in my eyes, not only natural [but] also an excellent thing for the history of both our countries."

Mr Trump praised “America’s first and oldest ally” and called his counterpart a “great President”, while commemorating US troops who joined the First World War 100 years ago.

Another protest march is due on Bastille Day as Mr Trump attends celebrations for France’s national day, including a huge military parade down the Champs-Élysées, as the guest of honour – the first American President to do so since 1989.

Security has been tightened during his visit, with the Eiffel Tower closed ahead of the leaders’ dinner and an increased police presence around events and sensitive sites.

An Isis supporter massacred 86 people as they left Bastille Day fireworks in Nice a year ago, while another terror attack left a police officer dead in the Champs-Élysées earlier this year.