LONDON (AP) – A giant balloon depicting London mayor Sadiq Khan dressed in a yellow bikini has been launched over Parliament Square.
A group of supporters watched the inflatable take to the skies. The crowd cheered and shouted, “higher, higher, higher” as the balloon was launched Saturday.
Some wore t-shirts saying “Make London Safe Again”.
Organisers had raised more than £58,000 ($75,000) to create the blimp in a protest against Khan’s policies.
It was meant as a rebuke to Khan, who had earlier backed protesters’ right to launch a balloon depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as an angry baby during his July visit to Britain.
President Trump has repeatedly criticised Khan’s handling of security and crime in London. Khan is London’s first Muslim mayor.
A demonstrator holds an inflatable toy with a mask of London Mayor Sadiq Khan as a large balloon depicting London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a yellow bikini floats over demonstrators gathering in Westminster, in central London on September 2018. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
A large balloon depicting London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a yellow bikini floats over demonstrators gathering in Westminster, in central London on September 2018. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Dancers perform as a large balloon depicting London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a yellow bikini floats above a small crowd of demonstrators in Westminster, in central London on September 2018. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
A large balloon depicting London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a yellow bikini floats above a small crowd of demonstrators in Westminster, in central London on September 2018. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)