My hometown Lewes burnt effigies of Donald Trump

The quiet town of Lewes in East Sussex is mildly famous for a few things – it’s home to the first Bills Café, Piers Morgan went to school here and Anne of Cleves owned a house here after divorcing Henry VIII.

But most notably, Lewes hosts the UK’s biggest bonfire celebrations with around 40,000 people attending this year alone. It’s pretty much bonfire night on steroids with an armed police presence as the event is classified as a “National Security Threat.”

There are seven bonfire societies who each represent a borough of Lewes and this year many of them made the decision to burn effigies of Donald Trump. In the past effigies of David Cameron, Vladamir Putin, and Kim Jong-Un have been thrown on the flames.

The societies parade through the streets in uniforms holding burning crosses and torches. To an outsider, the event will look like a complete breakdown in sanity as participants burn their effigies like a sort of holy ritual.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMawGv6hM7A/?tagged=lewesbonfire

But for Lewes, Bonfire Night is bigger than Christmas, Halloween and Easter combined.

The burning of Donald Trump in this small English town shows how far hatred for him as spread. His constant misogynistic, racist and homophobic comments have caught the world’s attention – not just America’s.

In one effigy, Trump is likened to Humpty Dumpty upon the border wall he intends to build if made President. In another he is riding a sombrero wearing donkey while dressed as a clown. Both sum him up pretty well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMcniRfD6Vy/?tagged=lewesbonfire

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMe00JiDqhi/?tagged=lewesbonfire

Lewes loves to stir the pot.

If the election was left up to Lewes alone, the real Trump would have been burnt as if we were living in the 1600’s. Unfortunately, this is out of our hands and we can only wait to see what result Tuesday brings.