Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Uganda dissidents on trial as president’s son tightens control

Uganda's army chief, General Kainerugaba, has ordered the arrest of leading activists and politicians in recent weeks, and this weekend shut down the country's main independent media group. Two of those arrested appear in court this Tuesday: opposition figure Kizza Besigye and his lawyer.

Issued on: 30/06/2026 - RFI

Uganda's veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye during a court session at Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court in Kampala on 23 May, 2025. © Badru Katumba / AFP

Uganda's opposition leader Kizza Besigye, held in detention since his abduction from Kenya in 2024, is to appear in a Kampala court regarding the long-standing treason charges against him.

Besigye's lawyer, Erias Lukwago, who was arrested this month on Kainerugaba's orders, will be heard in a separate case.

Both arrived in court in the morning. The High Court has scheduled the hearing of the bail application for 3 July at 2pm.

The trials of these two Ugandan government critics resume as the crackdown on critics by army chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba tightens in an increasing show of power.

His father, President Yoweri Museveni, who won a seventh term in office less than six months ago, has made no comment on his son's recent actions.

Analysts say Kainerugaba, 52, has already become the dominant force in the country in recent weeks amid a mounting crackdown on critics.

General clampdown

Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, warned last week that the arbitrary detention and torture of Kizza Besigye's lead defence counsel Erias Lukwago points to "a continuation of a long and disturbing pattern of arbitrary arrests, torture and ill treatment of Kizza Besigye's legal team."

Early on Sunday, the army chief also ordered the shutdown of the leading independent media group that runs the Daily Monitor newspaper and NTV station, declaring: "I do not believe in a free press!"

Kainerugaba regularly posts controversial comments on social media that range from threats to abduct and torture opponents to jokes about stealing Beyoncé from her husband, while repeatedly saying he will be the next president after the 81-year-old Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for 40 years, leaves office.

People had at first taken Kainerugaba's threats "as a joke," according to Gerald Walulya, senior lecturer in the journalism department at Makerere University, but now, "we are seeing him being able to demonstrate power without any form of restraint from the father," he said.

Much of the Ugandan opposition has been neutered since the last electoral campaign that led to Museveni's re-election in January.

Besigye, 70, has run several times against Museveni, but was abducted in Nairobi by armed men, which raised international condemnation.

His family have accused the Ugandan state of torturing him and said he faces health issues.

Museveni's main opponent in recent years, the singer-turned-politician Bobi Wine, ran for the presidency in January but had to flee the country after Kainerugaba threatened to hunt him down and behead him.

Besigye’s lawyer, Lukwago was preparing to serve legal papers summoning Kainerugaba over the abduction when he was himself arrested earlier this month. He is now accused of failing to reveal an alleged plot against the state.

Kainerugaba wrote on X shortly after the lawyer’s detention: “I’m proud of ALL the hurt and pain I will inflict on the CRIMINAL LUKWAGO!“

He has also targeted several Ugandan rights groups, including Agora, which has been summoned to appear before police last week over allegations of fraud and money laundering.

‘Cultivating fear’

Many observers say Museveni is grooming his son to take over from him, which he never officially acknowledged.

According to Yusuf Serunkuma, political columnist for The Observer newspaper, Kainerugaba, often just called by his first name Muhoozi, is still insisting that he is only following his father’s orders.

“I’m not sure whether exhibiting power and cultivating fear is part of the strategy for Muhoozi or if he is simply doing what comes naturally to him. as a soldier,” Serunkuma said.

With 1.3 million followers on the social network X, Kainerugaba's real popularity around the country remains untested.

“If he were strategic, he would have taken lessons from his father and cultivated connections with the general public and the international community,” said Serunkuma. “Instead he’s gone out of his way to break those connections.”

ZULU NATIONALISM
South Africa braces for violence as anti-migrant marches reach boiling point

South African police were deployed in force across the country on Tuesday to forestall unrest and protests, as anti-immigrant groups' unofficial deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country fell. It follows a weeks-long campaign that has sent thousands fleeing and claimed four lives.

Issued on: 30/06/2026 - RFI

A drone view of thousands of Malawians at a Durban drive-in site amid fears of anti-immigrant violence ahead of a June 30 deadline set by activists demanding undocumented migrants leave the country, in Durban, South Africa, 25 June 2026. REUTERS - Siyabonga Sishi

Thousands of people marched Tuesday in cities across South Africa to demand the departure of undocumented foreign nationals.

The protests have been mobilised by a loose coalition of minor political parties and small citizen-led vigilante groups which analysts say appear to be well organised and have a strong social media presence.

A few thousand South Africans took to the streets in the centre of the financial capital Johannesburg, where most shops stayed shuttered, workers stayed home, and transport hubs were quiet.

They marched behind organisers, waving flags and placards and watched by police in bulletproof jackets and riot helmets.

In the southeastern city of Durban, the Zulu heartland, protesters turned out in traditional warrior attire, carrying spears, whips and shields and some draped in leopard skins.

At least four armoured vehicles were stationed along the route, while a police helicopter hovered overhead, reporters saw.

Call for stricter laws

Brightness Gumbi, 48, who runs a kitchen business in a Durban township, said she joined the protest after years of struggling to secure an affordable place for her business.

"The illegal foreigners manage to pay it because they sell drugs to our people," she told French news agency AFP. "I hope through these demonstrations our president will hear our cries and enforce stricter laws."

The leader of the anti-immigrant March and March group, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, told reporters last week that 30 June would launch "a national march to freedom, a rolling mass action" until all undocumented foreign nationals were deported.

"We are not calling for violence... No one will be killed on the 30th of June and no looting will take place in our name," she said.

At least two Mozambicans, an Ethiopian and a Malawian have been killed in anti-immigrant violence over recent weeks, and several African governments have organised planes or buses to repatriate their citizens.

South Africa accused of failing to crack down on anti-immigrant violence

The government is keen to avoid a repeat of the unrest that occurred five years ago, when around 350 people were killed in days of looting and riots.

The government is keen to avoid a repeat of the unrest that occurred five years ago, when around 350 people were killed in days of looting and riots.

The July 2021 unrest was sparked by the brief jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma for refusing to testify to a commission probing corruption.

Some 25,000 people have already fled South Africa in recent weeks, according to the authorities, the majority of them Malawian nationals.

Repatriation centre moved

The Department of Home Affairs has closed the voluntary repatriation site in Durban – located near the coast on a disused parking lot – and relocated it roughly 1,000 kilometres away to the north of the country.

This ensures that Malawians still awaiting repatriation will not be in the city centre, where protesters have been demonstrating.

"I decided to go to avoid being attacked," said Malawian Peter Madsoan, 45, who was among several thousand gathered in the port city of Durban on Monday waiting for a bus to take him home.

"I am a breadwinner back at home in Malawi," said the builder. "It is better for me to go than to die in South Africa."

South Africa accused of failing to crack down on anti-immigrant violence

Pastor Raphael Bahebwa, who has been overseeing a refugee encampment outside the South African Department of Home Affairs building for over a month, said: "We are waiting to see what happens.

They [the authorities] said they would deploy a heavy police presence to ensure our safety. But we are no longer afraid of death. If we die, at least the world will know what is happening – that we were here legally but were killed. We aren't afraid of that," he told RFI.

As Tuesday's unauthorised deadline arrived, thousands of people gathered in Cape Town and Johannesburg, waiting for assistance to go home.

Some said their landlords had evicted them or their employers had fired them, fearing fines from officials or attacks by vigilante groups.

Uganda announced at the weekend an "evacuation plan" to start in the coming days for nearly 750 of its citizens.

November elections

One of the continent's wealthiest countries, South Africa is a magnet for migrant labour while grappling with an unemployment rate above 30 percent, high crime and a breakdown in services in many areas.

In the countdown to 30 June, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced stepped-up government plans to combat illegal immigration and called on traditional leaders to use their "standing to calm tensions".

Coming ahead of local government elections in November, labour analyst Dale McKinley said the anti-migrant push has been "politically weaponised".

Mozambique claims five of its nationals killed killed in South Africa 'xenophobic attacks'

"The xenophobic groups have got it wrong," he told French news agency AFP. "This is a problem of governance, corruption and mismanagement."

The premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, Thami Ntuli, said: "Whatever our concerns about undocumented migration, however legitimate the frustrations beneath them, we will not allow this province to be set alight a second time, whether by criminality or by xenophobia."

Previous flare-ups of violence targeting undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa have bee

South Africa anti-migrant protests turn violent as deadline passes

30.06.2026, dpa

South African flag - FILE PHOTO - A South African flag flies in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. (is associated with: «South Africa anti-migrant protests turn violent as deadline passes») — Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa

By Kristin Palitza, Nobuhle Simelane and Christina Peters, dpa

Thousands of people demonstrated in several major South African cities on Tuesday demanding the departure of undocumented migrants, with violent attacks against foreigners from other African countries breaking out on the sidelines of the marches despite heavy security measures.

Demonstrators stormed and looted several migrant-run homes and businesses in suburbs of the city of Johannesburg, according to police.

In KwaZulu-Natal province, police detained 10 people on charges of looting and breaking and entering.

More than 25,000 migrants deported or departed

The marches marked the June 30 deadline set by the civic movement March and March - which has adopted increasingly radical rhetoric - by which it had demanded the departure of all undocumented migrants.

More than 25,000 foreign nationals have left or been deported in recent weeks, South African authorities said. Fear of violence has led not only undocumented but also legal migrants to opt for voluntary return.

March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma announced weekly demonstrations for the coming months to supporters in Durban, according to media reports.

The movement demands stricter enforcement of immigration law, mass deportations and tighter border checks. It claims, without evidence, that undocumented migrants contribute to crime and unemployment in South Africa.

Tense situation ahead of elections - migrants made 'scapegoats'

As Africa's most industrialized economy, South Africa has long been a major destination for migrants from across the continent.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the violence against migrants, saying it was no solution to make "vulnerable groups scapegoats" for complex economic problems. At the same time, the president announced tighter immigration checks.

The domestic political situation is particularly tense, with South Africa just months away from local elections planned for November 6 at which Ramaphosa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), faces the prospect of heavy losses.

Voluntary returns driven by fear of violence

The country of 64 million people at the southern tip of the continent is grappling with high crime and unemployment, a struggling economy and weak public services.

March and March makes blanket and unsubstantiated claims that undocumented migrants bear responsibility for many of these problems.

Protests in recent weeks in major cities including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town have at times ended in violent attacks.

Several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda, have organized repatriation efforts for their citizens in recent weeks. Thousands from neighbouring countries such as Malawi and Mozambique are waiting in centres set up by South African authorities for their departure.

South Africa periodically experiences waves of violence against migrants, particularly ahead of elections. The worst such outbreaks occurred in 2008 and 2015, when dozens of people were killed.

At the end of April, UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed concern about the current attacks in South Africa.

Volvic to appeal after French court rules green claims were misleading

The bottled water brand Volvic has been found guilty of “misleading commercial practices” by the Paris Commercial Court over environmental claims made on its mineral water bottles, including that they were “carbon neutral” or “100 percent recyclable”.

Issued on: 30/06/2026 - RFI

The logo on a plant-based plastic bottle of Volvic mineral water, after the Danone-owned brand was found guilty of misleading commercial practices over environmental claims on its packaging. AFP - THOMAS COEX

The ruling, handed down by the Paris Judicial Court on 23 June, was welcomed on Monday as a “landmark” decision by the French consumer association CLCV.

Danone – the French food and drinks giant that owns Volvic – said it contested both the court’s reasoning and its conclusion regarding “certain practices implemented in the past”, which it said had fully complied with the legislation and industry standards applicable at the time.

“Volvic will therefore appeal against this ruling,” the group said.

The case was brought by CLCV after Volvic used claims including “carbon neutral”, “certified carbon neutral”, “100 percent recycled”, “100 percent recyclable” and “always recyclable” on its bottles and packaging. The court found that the claims amounted to a misleading commercial practice.

Volvic has been ordered to pay €75,000 in damages to CLCV and to publish the judgement on the homepage of its website for six months.

Court questions carbon claims

In a statement issued on Monday, CLCV welcomed the court's decision, saying it had ruled for the first time on the use of terms such as “carbon neutral” and “100 percent recyclable” in relation to a consumer product.

According to the association, the decision “sets a standard that effectively protects consumers”.

The court found that the emissions produced in making a Volvic bottle were not fully cancelled out by carbon offsetting projects, and said the claims “carbon neutral” or “certified carbon neutral” were therefore likely to mislead consumers.

Danone said the claim had been based on certification obtained in 2020 from the Carbon Trust, using what it described as a recognised methodology.

The group added that after the certification was withdrawn in September 2023, it had “rethought” its approach and carried out a review to strengthen its carbon neutrality commitments, in order to ensure they remained in line with regulatory expectations.

Danone said it was working to cut its global carbon emissions by an average of 35 percent by 2030 compared with 2020, across all its operations.

Recycling labels also challenged

The court also challenged Volvic’s use of the claims “100 percent recycled” and “100 percent recyclable”.

It found that the bottles were only partially recycled and said the claim “100 percent recyclable” appeared on a label whose adhesive and ink were not, in fact, fully recyclable.

The ruling comes amid growing scrutiny of environmental marketing in Europe, particularly around plastic bottles and claims linked to recycling, carbon offsetting and climate neutrality.

In November 2023, BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation of which CLCV is a member, lodged a complaint with the European Commission over environmental claims relating to plastic bottles.

(With newswires)

Greece will use EU funds to pay fishermen to catch invasive pufferfish

By Konstantinos Tsellos & euronews with ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

Published on 29/06/2026 - EURONEWS

EU money will be used to support fishers whose livelihoods are threatened by climate change.

Greece will provide more support for professional fishers who "are facing serious challenges due to climate change and illegal practices” according to Margaritis Schinas, the Minister of Rural Development and Food.

Her ministry announced a package of measures to support professional fishers, aimed as cutting operating costs, safeguarding incomes and create a more stable operating framework for the sector.

Among the initiatives presented after the meeting between the Minister and representatives from the fishing sector, the standout is a pilot scheme for fishing the invasive pufferfish in the regions of Crete and the South Aegean, using European funds.

Fishermen recently called for a subsidy scheme to cull toxic pufferfish. The poisonous, omnivorous fish has invaded Greek water in recent years, destroying nets, ropes and fishing equipment with their extremely powerful jaws.

Greek fishers will be paid to catch invasive pufferfish

The maximum net payment for fishers is set at €5.33 per kilo, an amount which, according to the ministry, is up to 52 per cent higher than that applied in Cyprus. The measure is intended both to boost fishers’ incomes and to curb the spread of this particular invasive species. Only professional fishers will be allowed to catch it.

In addition to the subsidy for pufferfish fishing, the package includes six further measures:

1. Fuel subsidy for professional fishers. For April and May, support of €0.16 per litre is foreseen, while for June the amount comes to €0.12 per litre. According to Mr Schinas, implementation of the measure will require the tabling of a specific legislative amendment.

2. Creation of a compensation mechanism for professionals who will be affected by restrictions on fishing activity within national marine parks. The scheme will be designed in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Energy, with the aim of combining protection of the marine environment with economic support for coastal and island communities.

3. Changes being promoted to the new Common Fisheries Policy and to national legislation. Among other things, the ministry proposes lifting the ban on funding engines, so as to reduce vessels’ operating costs. At the same time, it seeks to encourage investment in safer, more efficient and more resilient fishing vessels. The same initiative also includes adapting legislation to make it easier for new professionals to enter the sector.

4. Strengthening the institutional presence of professional fishers in decision-making centres. In particular, a legislative intervention is being planned so that fishers are represented by type of fishing gear both at regional level and in national bodies, including the Fisheries Council. The aim is for decisions affecting the sector to be taken with the participation of the professionals themselves.

5. Stricter oversight of recreational fishing. A register of amateur fishers is to be created, along with an obligation to record their catches. The measure aims to curb the illegal trade in fish and unfair competition at the expense of professionals.

6. Rationalising the sanctions system. Under the plan, the suspension of a fishing vessel will no longer be imposed automatically, but only in cases of repeat offences. The penalty will be applied on the basis of a points system and aligned with European law. In this way, the ministry aims to establish a more proportionate framework that tackles serious violations without imposing disproportionate financial burdens on professionals.

“A step in the right direction, but…”

The president of the Panhellenic Association of Midwater Fisheries, Ioannis Bountoukos, acknowledged that some of the announcements are moving in a positive direction, but expressed reservations about the level and scope of the financial support.

As he pointed out, the subsidy for fuel costs is not sufficient to cover the real burdens faced by fishing businesses, particularly after the turbulence caused by the war in Iran and the rise in operating expenses.

Mr Bountoukos stressed that the pilot programme for catching pufferfish is a move in the right direction. He noted, however, that its implementation is confined to specific geographical areas and does not cover all professionals facing similar problems.

As for the ban on trawling in the Cyclades and the restrictions in national marine parks, he noted that such decisions should not be implemented without adequate scientific backing.

In his view, comprehensive studies are needed both to protect the marine environment and to ensure the viability of professionals’ livelihoods.

Finally, he said the fishing sector needs stronger funding, stable rules and meaningful participation by fishers in decisions that affect their activity.

Greece is leading the world in wildfire detection thanks to EU-funded satellites and AI

By Ioannis Karagiorgas

Published on 30/06/2026 - EURONEWS

Four nanosatellites are now fully operational, sending instant alerts to firefighters.

As Greece braces for yet another exceptionally difficult wildfire season a new line of defence is being deployed from above.

A specially designed fleet of satellites, each roughly the size of a small oven, will be on the lookout for the first signs of fire, creating a pioneering system that could save lives, protect communities and strengthen Europe’s push for technological autonomy.

Four OroraTech satellites, each smaller than a carry-on bag, were placed in low Earth orbit in May. Greece thus became the first country in the world to deploy a satellite constellation dedicated specifically to firefighting.

Nanosatellites for firefighting AP Photo

Instant real-time updates in the field, powered by Artificial Intelligence

The satellites carry thermal sensors designed to spot new fire outbreaks as small as four metres across, surpassing the capabilities of conventional satellites, which can only detect fires comparable in size to a cruise ship.

“We scan an area, use these images and send them to our artificial intelligence models. They analyse them with precision down to grid cells of 4 by 4 metres. Then, based on that analysis and the data held by the AI models, they can determine whether it is a fire or not. We then take this information and pass it on to the fire service or any other authority connected to the system,” explains OroraTech’s CEO, Ioannis Landouris.

Four OroraTech satellites were launched in May AP Photo

When a fire breaks out, incident commanders will receive an immediate alert with the location, size and intensity of the blaze already calculated. When several fires are burning at the same time, real-time data becomes crucial for making decisions on the response and the deployment of resources.

“The platform brings together all the data and presents it to you as you are, for example, trying to put out a fire. So if you are in the field with your tablet, you can see that: ‘If I deploy my crews here and here, there is a higher risk that the fire will move in that direction.’ At the same time, you can run simulations and forecast how the fire is likely to develop and spread,” Ioannis Landouris points out.

Papastergiou: 'Support in critical periods'

“These satellites will help us in critical periods, such as the summer in Greece, when unfortunately we often face large wildfires. A fire in an urban environment is easily noticed by residents; they see the smoke and alert the authorities. However, a fire in a national park or a remote area can be detected much more quickly by such a satellite, which, thanks to its thermal cameras, can pick up these hot spots,” says Greece’s Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou.

Life-saving support for firefighting crews

The thermal sensors also detect solar panels, overheated factory roofs and rock surfaces warmed by the sun, but artificial intelligence models have been designed to filter out these false signals before alerts reach the emergency services.

“With the four nanosatellites OroraTech launched in May, we will have this type of information every hour. There will be no gaps in coverage. This is important not only for early detection but also for the models that predict how a wildfire will spread. In this way, we will know every hour how the fire is developing and moving,” stresses Fire Brigade Commander Zisoula Dasiou.

Fire Brigade Commander Zisoula Dasiou AP Photo

The total cost of the network comes to €200 million and is funded by the European Union. Falling launch and manufacturing costs have made this expansion possible. The Greek programme is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Washington or 'Trumptown': The architectural expression of a cult of personality

The redevelopment of a public golf course, extensions to the White House and dreams of a triumphal arch: Donald Trump seems to have a growing spate of building projects on the boil in Washington. So what’s driving the president to remake the US capital in his image?

Issued on: 30/06/2026

FRANCE24
By: Sébastian SEIBT

US President Donald Trump playing golf against a black-and-white backdrop of Washington, with a fake sign announcing the opening of a Trump ‘resort’ in Washington.

© France Médias Monde graphics studio

For US President Donald Trump, golf is both a guilty pleasure and an area of expertise. The US president has built golf courses all over the world, spends many hours perfecting his swing, and now wishes to add a golf course to his grand project to “revamp” Washington DC.

“It will be one of the finest golf courses in the world,” said Trump on June 28 during his visit to the East Potomac Golf Links course, a historic public course managed by a nonprofit. The property magnate, who became the 47th president of the United States, has promised to start renovation works this year from September 1.

Remaking Washington in his image

Located in the heart of the historic district of Washington DC, not far from the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery, the golf course, which dates back to 1923, has been described by Trump as “virtually unusable”, “outdated” and even “dangerous” for golfers.

However, not all golfers agree. Many fear Trump’s project would make the course less accessible to the average golfer, as reported in the Washington Post.

Regardless of the naysayers, Trump is ploughing ahead with the refurbishment of the course, which is part of a broader redevelopment programme unprecedented in Washington.

“Donald Trump is planning a significant number of changes in the capital at a very rapid pace,” said Peter Finn, a political scientist and specialist in US presidential powers at the University of Greenwich.

“It will be one of the finest golf courses in the world,” said Donald Trump on Sunday 28 June during his visit to the East Potomac Golf Links municipal course. © France Médias Monde graphics studio

Aside from his golf project, the US president has indicated he wants to erect a triumphal arch in Washington modelled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; he has already embarked on a controversial renovation of the reflecting pool at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial; he renamed the Kennedy Centre the Trump Kennedy Centre (a project blocked by the courts); and he wants to add a ballroom to the East Wing of the White House.

Another project on the president’s wishlist involves Lafayette Park, at the entrance to the White House, which is set to welcome 47 new trees in reference to Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

Some government buildings now carry huge banners bearing the president’s image. On the facade that houses the Department of Agriculture, Trump’s portrait stands alongside that of Abraham Lincoln. Over at the Department of Labour, the president shares the limelight with Theodore Roosevelt whose portrait hangs outside the building next to Trump’s.

According to Politico, Trump has also reportedly expressed interest in renaming Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station in his honour.

Making legacy great again

“This fits perfectly with Trump’s personality – he always wants everything, right now. Washington is full of monuments and streets named in honour of past presidents, but Trump doesn’t want to wait for a possible tribute after he leaves office,” said Finn.

There’s also his age to consider: Trump is now over 80.

“It’s an age when one thinks above all of securing one’s legacy. For a president, this often means emphasizing one’s achievements, but Trump’s political triumphs are rather negligible, and not very substantial,” said Patrick Andelic, a specialist in the history of the American political system at Northumbria University.

This would account for the rush to rename both existing monuments and expedite the revamping or building of new ones, which are worthy of securing the president’s place in history.

“We mustn’t forget that the Trump Organisation – the parent company of Donald Trump’s property ventures – specialises not only in construction but also in developing the Trump brand. All the projects the president has launched in Washington fall into these two categories,” said Andelic.

Trump may be pushing the limits of – even surpassing – his predecessors but he is certainly not the first to want to remake Washington in his own image.

“He was probably inspired by the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, which aims to have a building or site named in the president’s honour in every county in the United States,” Andelic added.

This initiative to honour the legacy of the 40th US president “did not, however, seek to impose on local authorities to use the president’s name, but rather to persuade them. Trump, on the other hand, is taking a fait accompli approach and challenging anyone to oppose it. This, once again, is very much in line with the expression often attributed to some property developers, which is that ‘it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission’", said Andelic.

Natasha Lindstaedt, a specialist in authoritarian regimes at the University of Essex said his approach “resembles that of an authoritarian regime rather than that of the leader of a democratic country”.

‘Authoritarian drift’

Property developments designed to aggrandise the US leader “are a sign of a country’s authoritarian drift”, said Lindstaedt.

Indeed, she added that Trump’s ambitions in Washington are not so far removed from those of leaders with authoritarian tendencies, such as “Heydar Aliyev, who had streets named after him throughout Azerbaijan, or the former president of Turkmenistan, Saparmyrat Niyazov, who established a sort of architectural cult of personality”.

Lindstaedt warns that Trump’s tendency to want to have his name emblazoned on every wall in the capital should not be taken lightly. “It is an attempt to establish a cult of personality by circumventing or ignoring normal institutional rules and processes.”

The way in which Trump is transforming Washington is leading American democracy “down a slippery slope”, adds Lindstaedt, who like most experts believes the president’s decisions should be challenged in a court of law.

The fact that the courts ruled against the president, to have his name removed from the Kennedy Centre, “shows that constitutional procedures cannot be ignored with impunity”, noted Andelic.

As these events unfold in Washington, it “demonstrates that one of Trump’s greatest frustrations is not being able to act like an authoritarian leader, because the American system is too complex and robust to allow him to act entirely as he pleases”, said Finn.

The president’s plan to transform the East Potomac Golf Links course is the latest case in point. Works are set to go ahead from September, despite a federal judge having warned the White House not to proceed without first obtaining the necessary approvals. Trump has not indicated he intends to apply for them. And even with the prospect of another court battle, it seems Trump remains undeterred in his mission to rebrand Washington.

This article has been translated from the original in French by Nicole Trian.

In the rough: Critics outraged at Donald Trump’s latest golf project

By David Mouriquand

Published on 30/06/2026 - EURONEWS

Donald Trump has announced his new plan: the renovation of Washington D.C.'s East Potomac Golf Links. Critics aren't happy about the "vanity project".

After turning the water algae green instead of “American flag blue”, Donald Trump’s reported $16 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is allegedly complete.

It is now apparently in "full use" and will be treated again to be in “perfect shape” after 4 July celebrations.

Now that's out of the way, Trump has revealed his new project in a lengthy Truth Social post: Building “one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World”.

Trump said he has visited the “dilapidated, worn out, and very dangerous and outdated Golf Course known as East Potomac Golf Links” in Washington, D.C., and he wants a major overhaul of the “virtually unplayable” golf course.

Trump wrote: “We will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World which, importantly, will also be made available to the Public. When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events.”

Trump went on to announce that the renovations would begin on 1 September, despite a federal judge’s warning of "serious consequences" if the administration begins work without getting approval and notifying the court in advance.

"I'm going to say this one more time, and I do not want a situation where something has happened and then I'm being told by the government or by a foundation or by a bulldozing company that it's too late to do anything about it," U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said. "If anything like that happens... there are going to be serious consequences."

Should the renovations go ahead, there’s also the matter of which “Major Golf Tournaments” could be hosted there, as locations are planned years in advance. For instance, locations for the U.S. Open are scheduled through 2051 and the PGA Championship is set through 2035.

Critics are not impressed with this latest “vanity” project.

Following the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, plans to build "the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch anywhere in the World", the destroyed White House lawn following Trump’s birthday UFC event and the algae-infested Reflecting Pool, many are highlighting the extent of his “destruction” of Washington D.C.

Others are calling out Trump’s “self-serving” initiatives, which do not reflect or address the American public’s primary concerns.

As one user online put it: “As millions of Americans lose healthcare and food assistance, costs continue to soar, and war rages in the Middle East, Trump unveils his latest vanity project: building what he claims will be one of the world's greatest golf courses in Washington, D.C.”

Check out some of the reactions below:

The US' 250th Independence Day takes place on Saturday 4 July.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment