Donald Trump effigy burned during U.K. Bonfire Night
England's Guy Fawkes Night, an annual event that includes protest marches, bonfires and fireworks, acknowledged its former American colonies this year by burning Donald Trump in effigy.
A rendering of the Republican presidential candidate standing more than 30 feet high went up in flames Saturday in Edenbridge as part of the annual event, which also is called Bonfire Night, according to an ITV news report.
Trump effigies also were scheduled to be torched in Lewes, another English town, The (London) Daily Mailreported.
In London, thousands of protesters flooded the central part of the city for the annual "Million Mask March," which is held on Guy Fawkes Night.
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London police imposed tighter restrictions this year, including a three-hour time limit, after the 2015 event led to violent confrontations and resulted in more than 50 arrests.
By late evening, police had reported 53 arrests in connection with the march, The (London) Telegraph reported. Scotland Yard told The Telegraph that the arrests included three for possession of an offensive weapon, 14 for drugs and two for the non-removal of a face mask. Fireworks were set off in the crowd near the Houses of Parliament and bottles were thrown.
The worldwide protest event, which falls on the annual Guy Fawkes Night, is organized by the hacktivist collective Anonymous UK. Protests were also planned for New York, Los Angeles, Edinburgh and Brussels.
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In Edenbridge, the Trump effigy, which features the Republican presidential nominee holding the head of Democratic contender Hillary Clinton, beat out other contenders for the ritual burning.
"We are literally helping Trump to live out his own catchphrase, 'Burn it down,' by exploding the effigy as the opening act for our fireworks display," Jeni Fox of the Edenbridge Bonfire Society tells ITV. "It only seemed fair that Hillary Clinton took some of the limelight."
Guy Fawkes Night falls on Nov. 5 and marks the foiling of a plot by a group of Catholics to kill King James I, a Protestant, in 1605. The plan was to blow up the Houses of Parliament during its state opening.
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Fawkes, an explosives expert, was found beneath the building with 36 barrels of gunpowder and was sent to the Tower of London where he was tortured and later died. An effigy representing him is burned on bonfires around the country on the night of Nov. 5 to mark the events.
The "mask" refers to the Fawkes mask that many protesters wear that features a goateed figure with a moustache, large eyebrows and an upturned smile.
On the eve of the event in London, Metropolitan police commander B.J. Harrington made it clear authorities would not allow the march to get out of hand this year.
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"We saw participants causing criminal damage to public property, smashing the windows of businesses and attacking police officers all whilst harassing and intimidating families as they visited theaters, dined out or shopped in the West End," Harrington said of last year's march.
"As we look ahead to this weekend, my message is simple: If you want to protest peacefully, that is your right and we want to work with you," he said. "If you commit criminal acts — that is not peaceful protest — and you are liable to be arrested."
In a sign of the tenor of the planned protest, organizers warned on their Facebook page for the event that the police "are not your friends."
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"Keep an eye out for your comrades and police tactics that will limit movement. The hive mind should stay vigilant," they said.
In a rallying cry, the protest group pointed to what it said was government overreach and the violation of individual rights.
"We have seen the pushes to make the Internet yet another part of the surveillance state. We have seen the government's disregard for migrants, for the poor, the elderly and the disabled. We have seen the capital, profit and greed of the few put before the well-being of the many and we say enough is enough," the statement from Anonymous UK said.
Contributing: Bill Keveney, USA TODAY. Follow Doug Stanglin on Twitter: @dstanglin