UK Labour and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn gave a galvanising speech to tens of thousands of people attending protests against US president Donald Trump's state visit to the UK.
"In welcoming visitors from the United States, I hope there can be a conversation," Mr Corbyn said. "I am absolutely not refusing to meet anybody. I want to have that dialogue to bring about the better and more peaceful world that we all want to live in.
UK Labour and opposition leader @jeremycorbyn gives a fantastic speech on strengthening diversity and opposing NHS privatisation at Whitehalll in #London, UK. #TrumpProtest #TrumpUKVisit #TrumpNotWelcome @SputnikInt #LondonIsOpen pic.twitter.com/dAYsAIX5L6
— Haneul Na'avi (@dialecticpro) June 4, 2019
Mr Corbyn said that the UK was "in the midst of a debate about the future of our relationship between Britain and Europe and the rest of the world" but that debates should "encourage the protection of jobs, living standards and public services and reach out to people across the world".
READ MORE: 'Nothing Special': UK Attendees Weigh in on Donald Trump's UK State Visit
"But it should not be a debate about how we go forward with no deal at the same time as offering up our precious, wonderful national health services to private American companies to come in and take it over."
Theresa May stood next to @realDonaldTrump as he said the NHS will be "on the table" in a US trade deal. And that’s what Tory leadership contenders and Farage are lining up for the No Deal disaster capitalism plans they have.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 4, 2019
They all need to understand: our NHS is not for sale.
He stated that the UK would "fight with every last breath" to defend its healthcare system which guarantees equal treatment to patients "as a human right".
He also spoke about the roughly 65m refugees quoted by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHRC) that "have no place to call their own as home", adding that the number of global refugees were "more than at any time in recorded history that there have been displaced people on this globe".
"Don't treat them as enemies, treat them as fellow human beings and citizens of this planet who deserve our support, sympathy and understanding," he stated.
We won't ignore the refugee crisis — the 65 million people around the world who are escaping oppression, war, climate crises and poverty.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 4, 2019
We're standing against those who treat them as enemies. They're our fellow human beings who deserve compassion and safety. #TrumpProtest pic.twitter.com/MNwvgPNAlg
Corbyn also reminded attendees of marches that took place in Hyde Park in 2003, in contrast to D-Day commemorations taking place during the week.
"The consequences live on in the disability, the mental health stress, the dislocation, and the flows of desperate refugees," Corbyn said. "The wars of Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria are feeding this desperate refugee flow."
The Labour leader concluded his speech by stating that he wanted to reach out to "every government in the world to "bring about a peaceful world where we don't solve our problems by going to war", but "by an understanding of history and of how these conflicts came about".
"That is the intelligent message of peace that I believe that we're giving here today in this marvellous demonstration in Whitehall," he said.
READ MORE: Trump Calls Reports of Protests in London Against His Visit to UK 'Fake News'
US president Donald Trump is on an official state visit to the UK 3-5 June, where he will tour the country for D-Day commemorations and speak with British leaders on topics ranging from security to post-Brexit trade deals. But tens of thousands gathered on Tuesday to attend rallies protesting Trump's visit, citing criticisms of his effects on immigration as well as foreign policy, where he has labelled countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and others "theats to national security".
