Prestwick Airport gears up for visit of President Trump
Donald Trump in Scotland: Stop Trump Coalition plan protests in Scottish cities ahead of US president visit
Coordinated anti-Trump protests are being held in Edinburgh and Aberdeen this weekend, marking the arrival of the US President in Scotland.
Last week, the White House confirmed Mr Trump will visit both of his golf courses in Scotland - Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire - between July 25 and 29.
Mr Trump is scheduled to meet both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney while in Aberdeen.
Large-scale protests are expected during the visit. Since the dates of the President’s visit have been confirmed, a group of campaigners from across the UK have joined forces under a banner called the ‘Stop Trump Coalition’.
It has organised two protests in Scotland on Saturday, at Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen and outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, which are expected to kick off at noon.
Organisers said activists, made up of trade unionists, climate campaigners and pro-Palestine groups, will respond to the President’s agenda and follow him “wherever he goes” during his trip.
They said the protests were just one part of a multi-day “festival of resistance” coinciding with the visit. Similar protests took place in 2018, when thousands of Scots took to the streets while Mr Trump was in Scotland for a two-day golf trip at his Turnberry resort.
Meanwhile, Police Scotland’s Assistant Chief Constable, Emma Bond, said its policing plan will seek to “balance rights to peaceful protest” while maintaining public safety and minimising disruption.
The activist coalition is calling specifically on the First Minister, John Swinney, to boycott the visit by refusing to meet with the US president.
A spokesperson for the group said: “The people of Scotland don’t want to roll out a welcome mat for Donald Trump, whose government is accelerating the spread of climate breakdown and fascism around the world.
“We encourage all those who can to come to Aberdeen to show Trump exactly what we think of him in Scotland — and those who can’t should join demonstrations wherever they are.”
The statement went on to urge the First Minister to turn down what the group branded a “humiliating photo opportunity” with the US leader.
Last week, the First Minister said it was “in Scotland’s interest” to meet with the President, and would use the opportunity to raise concerns around the situation in the Middle East as well as the impact on tariffs on sectors like Scotch whisky.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government has been working collaboratively on arrangements with partners including Police Scotland on the visit of the President of the United States.
“There are plans for the First Minister to meet with the President when he is in Scotland. It is important that the opportunity to promote the interests of Scotland is taken during this visit."
