Hundreds of Donald Trump protesters march in Edinburgh and Aberdeen against US President's visit
Donald Trump protesters have begun to march in Edinburgh and Aberdeen to oppose the US President's visit to Scotland this weekend.
The 79-year-old touched-down at Prestwick Airport at around 8pm on Friday ahead of a five-day private visit to his luxury golf resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire.
A meeting is scheduled with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is understood to be making the trip north on Monday.
However, Trump - a well-known golf enthusiast - left Saturday free to play the vaunted Turnberry course and was spotted on the green this morning.
Meanwhile, though, a wave of protests have been organised with many angry at the arrival of the president.
The Stop Trump Coalition confirmed earlier this week that they were planning events in Aberdeen in the city centre and outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday at midday.
Pictures taken this afternoon show hundreds of protests holding placards in the capital.
Outside the US consulate people held up orange signs displaying the message "Stop Trump, Free Gaza".
Others held handmade signs above their head with messages such as "Scotland hates Trump" and "No to trump".
In Aberdeen a number of Palestine flags were seen being waved during the demonstration as protesters gathered at the Union Terrace Gardens.
Others at the protests decided to poke fun at the president with signs saying "Get oot nasty little man baby" and "Keep orange in a can and out of the White House".
It's understood there could also be protest activity around Turnberry and Menie, where Trump is expected to open a new 18-hole golf course named in honour of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, born on the Isle of Lewis.
Earlier this week, Police Scotland's Assistant chief constable Emma Bond said the force will take a 'proportionate' approach to ensure people can protest safely.
Activists say they are taking to the streets upon Trump's arrival to express 'widespread anger' over the president's policies.
Connor Dylan, the organiser of the anti-Trump protests in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, told the Guardian: 'The vast majority of people in Scotland were already opposed to everything Trump stood for when he first visited as president.
"As we've learned more and more about him and the way he governs, that attitude has only hardened.
'His politics – and those of the people around him – have only become more extreme since then, with once fringe ideas like mass deportations now part of mainstream American politics and being effectively exported to the UK and other European countries by far-right allies.'
Fellow organiser Alena Ivanova added: 'There's a widespread anger and determination to come out from people across Scotland and calling on our elected leaders not to give Trump the acknowledgement and welcome he wants.'
Saturday will be the first real test of Police Scotland during the visit as it looks to control the demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as well as any which spring up near to the president's course.
The force has asked for support from others around the UK to bolster officer numbers, with both organisations representing senior officers and the rank-and-file claiming there is likely to be an impact on policing across the country for the duration of the visit.
First Minister John Swinney - who is also set to meet with the president during his time in Scotland - has urged Scots to protest "peacefully and within the law".
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