Anti-Trump protesters hold rally in Edinburgh on final day of state visit

Anti-Trump protesters have held a rally in Edinburgh to voice their opposition to the US president, on the final day of his state visit to the UK.

Around 200 demonstrators gathered on the Meadows on Thursday evening, many carrying placards and banners with slogans attacking Donald Trump.

They were addressed by a range of speakers, including a number of US citizens based in the UK, members of various campaign groups, and a Glasgow city councillor.

The demonstration was organised by Democrats Abroad Scotland, whose chairman Jack Nevin said it was important to “not let the unprecedented second state visit go unremarked upon”.

The dual US-UK citizen said: “There was a broad coalition of different people here, representing really every issue you can think of.

“And I think that Trump and the hateful ideology which he represents threatens all of us, and our environment, and all the civil issues which we care about.”

Asked how Mr Trump’s lavish state visit would be viewed in the US, he said: “I think they’d probably rather that he was at home in Congress trying to pass laws to make life easier for people, rather than creating a culture of division and hate.”

Placards carried by the crowd included the slogans “Stop Trump”, “Deny Trump not climate”, and “No red carpet for rights abusers”.

The demonstrators were also led in a number of pro-Palestine and anti-Trump chants.

Ann Peace, 63, who travelled to the rally from Glenrothes in Fife, said she came to protest because “Trump’s wrong”.

“I need to make sure he’s aware he’s not welcome in Scotland. He’s not welcome anywhere, but he’s absolutely not welcome in Scotland,” she said.

She went on: “He’s dangerous and he’s bad. He could, tomorrow, stop the genocide in Palestine.

“He could say ‘no that’s it, I’m not paying for all your weapons, all your healthcare, all your free housing, I’m going to give that money to people in America who need all those kinds of things, and I’m going to stop a genocide’.”

Asked whether it might be in the UK’s interests to have given Mr Trump a second state visit, she replied: “It’s not in our interests to cosy up to a genocidal maniac in my opinion.”

US citizen Alex Daniels, 20, said that even if Mr Trump did not see any of the demonstrations that have been held in the UK over the last few days, they offer support to those who oppose him around the world.

“I think the most important thing is showing the rest of the world that there are sizeable contingents of the American population abroad that does not approve of Trump, and will take action and take to the streets when he does visit said country,” he said.

Mr Daniels, who is co-president of Democrats Abroad at the University of Edinburgh, went on: “That was shown the first time when Trump visited Scotland in July and it’s been shown again this time, and you saw the giant Trump-Epstein tarp at Windsor castle.

“Things like that really show Americans at home, and Democrats at home, that there are Americans abroad and also Brits and non-Americans as well, who equally oppose Trump, and are equally willing to stand up and do something about it.”

Retiree Lee Gates, 77, said she joined the protest because she thought it was “obscene” that Mr Trump had been treated to a lavish state visit when there were so many other problems in the UK and elsewhere.

“We have child poverty here, and a cost-of-living crisis, and the wars going on, and children in Gaza dying every day of starvation and being bombed as well,” she said.

“(Mr Trump) talks a lot of positive things, but he hasn’t brought anything into fruition really.

“He talks about peace, but he kowtows with Putin and Israel as well, so we can’t believe him.”