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Trump to face “wall of protests” in Scotland

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Protesters expect thousands to turn out at various locations

Donald Trump will face a “wall of protests” when he visits Scotland as part of the American presidents visit to Scotland.

The American president arrives in the UK today on an official state visit and is expected to spend the weekend in Scotland.

Camapign group Scotland Against Trump has organised coaches to take protesters to rallies in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee on Friday and Saturday.

Protests are also expected to take place at both of president Trump's Scottish golf courses - Trump International Golf Links at Balmedie, Aberdeenshire and Trump Turnberry near Girvan.

Trump and his wife Melanie are expected to stay at Turnberry over the weekend.

These are just the major protests which have been organised so far but others are expected to spring up in localities across the country.

Over 5,000 extra police officers are being drafted in to provide increased security with the UK government footing the bill for the increased policing.

Scotland United Against Trump’s Kirsty Haigh said: “Trump likes to talk up his Scottish connections but we are going to show that his politics are not welcome here.

“A growing coalition of organisations and campaigns are coming together to say that Scotland will stand united against Trump. We are going to build support for two massive days of action with a rally in Glasgow and national demonstration and festival in Edinburgh."

Phil James from Glasgow is joining with dozens of his friends and colleagues to protest at Turnberry.

“Trump will be met with a wall of protest and will be left in no doubt as to how the Scottish people view him: with total disdain," he said.

“We will use our democratic right to tell Trump he’s not welcome here. He’s hated – not just by us but across the world. He’ll leave Scotland knowing that.”

Young Friends of the Earth Scotland co-ordinator Kate Whitaker said: "We are protesting Trump's visit to Scotland to show that we stand against the the things he represents - hate, fear and climate denial. Trump's regressive and divisive politics have caused chaos and pain for many thousands of people around the world, particularly in the US. From pulling the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement to caging children at the Mexican border and cutting taxes for the rich, Trump has shown he rules only for corporations and the elite.

"Trump is both a product and a symptom of a hyper-capitalist system that's not working for people or planet. The answers to the planetary crisis lie not in hatred, fear and division, but in shifting away from unsustainable fossil-fueled economies to renewable energy powered systems that work for communities and the environment. The strength and creativity of the protest response to Trump's visit is testament to a growing movement of people power leading the way to a just and sustainable future.”

Scotland’s biggest civil society protests took place in 2005 when G8 leaders met at Gleneagles.

Pitched battles took place on Edinburgh’s Princes Street while anti-capitalists stormed banks and corporate headquarters of major businesses in the capital.

Meanwhile the Greens and the leader of Scottish Labour issued a joint statement saying president Trump should not be allowed to land Air Force One at Prestwick Airport which is owned by the Scottish Government.

Patrick Harvie co-convener of the Greens and Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the Scottish Government should send a “powerful message” and prevent the use of the airport by Donald Trump during his visit to Scotland.

The statement said: "Donald Trump is not welcome here. The horrific scenes at the Mexican border are a repudiation of decent human values. Caging children like animals is barbaric.

"We cannot roll out the red carpet for a US president that treats human beings this way.”