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As it happenedended

Trump protests - as it happened: Thousands demonstrate as US president plays golf in Scotland

Have a look back at all the day's action

Harriet Agerholm,Chris Baynes,Eleanor Busby
Saturday 14 July 2018 15:37 BST
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Donald Trump waves to screaming protesters at Turnberry in Scotland

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Thousands of demonstrators protested across the country as Donald Trump’s UK visit turned from talks with the Prime Minister and the Queen to golf.

The US president flew to Glasgow Prestwick airport on Friday night for a two-day private stay at his Turnberry golf resort, as the protests entered their third day.

People marched in Edinburgh from the Scottish Parliament to the Meadows, waving placards with messages including “Dump Trump” and ”Love Trumps Hate,” as part of a so-called “Carnival of Resistance”.

Meanwhile, demonstrators gathered outside the Turnberry course in Ayrshire, where demonstrators shouted: “No Trump, no USA, no KKK, no racist USA!”

Police were still investigating on Saturday after Greenpeace flew a paraglider with a banner bearing the message “Trump well below par” above the resort on Friday evening, despite restrictions on the airspace above the course.

In London, a “Welcome Trump” procession joined with a ”Free Tommy” march, to form a group of several hundred who demonstrated in support of the US President and the far-right leader.

The Metropolitan police separated the group from antifascist protesters and placed restrictions on when and where the demonstrators could gather.

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A look back at Barack Obama's relationship with the Queen, after Donald Trump encountered her majesty.

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 13:02

The now-infamous baby blimp has been inflated in Edinburgh and is set to fly above a huge protest there.

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 13:07

It's alleged Sam Brownback – Donald Trump's ambassador for international religious freedom – suggested the UK should be more “sympathetic” to the former leader of the English Defence League.

Robinson's supporters are currently protesting against his imprisonment alongside supporters of the US President in London.

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 13:16

The Scotland United Against Trump rally is in full swing in Edinburgh.

Demonstrators are marching from the Scottish Parliament, past the US Consulate, to Meadows area of the city centre. There, they will hold a so-called Carnival of Resistance of 2.30pm.

Here are some pictures from the protest:

Chris Baynes14 July 2018 13:45

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Estimates of the pro-Trump and pro-Tommy Robinson rally in London range from 100 and 300 — a far cry from the thousands marching in Edinburgh today.

Police have issued a section 12 order which restricts where the "Welcome Trump" and "Free Tommy" march can go, amid fears of violent clashes with anti-fascist protesters.

Specially trained officers will patrol the procession, after supporters of the EDL leader threw bottles and barriers at police during a rally last month.

Chris Baynes14 July 2018 13:54

Donald Trump has been spotted playing golf at his luxury resort in Ayrshire, Scotland.

The president waved to protesters who heckled him from a beach that adjoins the golf course, as snipers overlooked the interaction from scaffolding erected on the sand. The boundary between the resort and the beach was also guarded by police in high-visibility jackets.

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AFP 

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Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 14:28

Outside Mr Trump's golf course in Aberdeenshire a female protester climbed onto a wall surrounding the resort before being helped down by police.

Demonstrators cheered and waved their placards when passing motorists sounded their horns, but one driver shouted “get a life”.

New Yorker Ibis Robinson, who has lived in Scotland's north east with her husband Timothy for many years, said she came to stand up against “the hatred and bigotry against anyone who isn't white”.

She said she does not like returning to the States since Mr Trump took office.

The 61-year-old said: “There's no way I'm going back. Even if he's only there for four years, every four years we have an election and there are 67 million people who support him, so what are the chances that this is the end? That's the worrisome thing.

“I never thought I would be thinking this about my own country, that it would be possible.

“We were taught from a young age that there are checks and balances, and there are no checks and balances.”#

PA

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 14:46

Responding to the US president waving to protesters, one activist told local news outlet MFR News: "He obviously saw that we were here, acknowledged we were here and that's obviously a good thing — he knows there are people protesting against his visit and that he's not welcome in Scotland."

Protesters have been playing the bagpipes and shouting: "Leave our country!" outside Mr Trump's luxury golf resort in Ayrshire since this morning.

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 14:56

First lady Melania Trump has posted pictures on Twitter of her meeting the Queen.

“It was an honor to meet and have tea with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," she said in a tweet. "POTUS and I enjoyed the visit and her company very much!”

The US president and first lady have been criticised for failing to bow and curtsy when they met the monarch – as is customary – opting for handshakes instead. 

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 15:08

Nicola Sturgeon has said opposition to Donald Trump is about policies rather than his personality and that reports he “totally hates” her only leave her amused.

The first minister said she had been a “wee bit tickled” by comments made by a former UK Government aide that the US president has been “bitching” about her to Theresa May.

She said: “I find it hard to believe that the president of the United States with all the big important issues that he has to deal with on a daily basis, finds the time to rant about me on the telephone to Theresa May

“If it is true, I suppose I should take it as a compliment. I certainly don't spend that much time talking about him.”

The Huffington Post quoted the anonymous former aide as saying: “He totally hates Nicola Sturgeon. He spends lots of his time bitching about Sturgeon. He loathes Salmond too. But why spend so much time talking about Sturgeon in a phone call with Theresa May?”

Speaking after heading Scotland's largest pride march as the first honorary grand marshal of Glasgow Pride, the first minister said she disagreed with the US president on a number of issues.

“It's not personal, it's about policies," she said. "Policies like pulling out of the climate change treaty, the treatment of minorities, the language about women, but also, and I think most importantly recently, the policy of separating migrant children from their parents."

PA

Harriet Agerholm14 July 2018 15:29

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