President Donald Trump arrived at Prestwick Airport on Friday night to be met by a member of the UK government, Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell.

There were protests in London and Glasgow yesterday and well over the ten thousand people expected marched in Edinburgh today to show that they do not agree with Trump’s policies, his beliefs or his behaviour.

The Trump baby blimp (and an even smaller one!) had been specially brought up from London on the overnight sleeper and proved a hit with the crowd who gravitated towards him at the end of the march from Holyrood.

There was no slowing down near the US Consulate. A cordon of police officers, some on horseback were moving any protesters away from that side of the road.

It was a good natured protest with people of all ages taking part, eager to express their views.

SCOTTISH LABOUR

Writing for the Red Robin website ahead of addressing a mass rally in Edinburgh against the Trump visit, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said:

Richard Leonard MP addressing the crowds at Holyrood before the march

“Today in Edinburgh thousands of people will stand together in peaceful but passionate protest against Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland and the UK.
“People from all parties and all faiths will join people who don’t belong to either a political party or faith, in demonstrating to the 45th President of the United States that he is not welcome here.
“The architect of the travel ban should certainly not have been allowed to use an airport owned on behalf of the Scottish people to host his arrival.
“The reasons which have brought so many onto the streets to protest are not new as far as he is concerned, but they are very clear:

His misogyny
His racism
His bigotry
His denunciation of climate change and
His anti-trade union actions

“Donald Trump is not welcome here. The horrific scenes at the Mexican border are just the latest example of his repudiation of decent human values. Caging children like animals is barbaric and we simply cannot roll out the red carpet for a US President who treats people that way.
“These demonstrations are not simply just about the politics of Donald Trump, it is about his moral values as well.
“It is not about right versus left, it is about right versus wrong.
“We will be demanding morality over ego, liberty over tyranny, civilisation over barbarism and truth over lies.
“We are clear in our view that Donald Trump’s visit does not have the consent of the people, that we stand for freedom of speech and we stand for hope and common humanity.
“Our voices of protest will not be silenced until we build a world of racial harmony, equality, tolerance and freedom for all.
“Eighty-five years ago, Franklin D Roosevelt spoke of the “policy of the good neighbour” and “the neighbour who resolutely respects himself, and because he does, respects the right of others:

“The neighbour who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbours”

“My hope is that this doctrine might once more permeate the White House.
“The 45th President would do well to learn from the 32nd President, and reflect on the American constitution drafted by the first President – that of a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal.
“In the meantime, he is not welcome here and this weekend we will clearly, but peacefully demonstrate that.”

THE CHURCH
Five church leaders from four Scottish churches have signed an open letter to President Donald Trump asking him to revise his administration’s policies on migrants and asylum seekers.
“As a nation shaped by migration, Scotland’s people have known what it is to be welcomed as the stranger – and to welcome others.”
Dear President Trump,
The iconic symbol of the United States of America, the Statue of Liberty proclaims “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.
She has been seen by generations of Scots, including your own ancestors, who went to make a new life and in turn contributed to the life of a nation unequalled in history for its diversity and opportunity.
It is with great sadness that we have followed reports of events in recent months which have seen families ripped apart and children placed in cages. While all nations have the right to ensure their safety and control their borders this action has gone beyond what good conscience can accept.
As a nation shaped by migration, Scotland’s people have known what it is to be welcomed as the stranger – and to welcome others.
Most religions teach a form of the Golden Rule (treat others as you would wish to be treated) and the inherent value and dignity of every human being.
People of faith are aware that our common humanity transcends national, racial, cultural or linguistic barriers. Offering hospitality to strangers is a common requirement of many different faith traditions.
In recent years in Scotland faith groups have lived and worked alongside refugees and asylum seekers, often in partnership with members of other faiths and with voluntary and statutory agencies. Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees is just one example of collaboration between people of multiple faith traditions.
While our history is marked with incidences of conflict, division and sectarianism, the Scotland you are visiting is multi-cultural, multi-faith, and enriched by the contribution of all Scots, native or new.
Across our nation, communities are opening their doors to those seeking safety, most recently leading the UK in welcoming Syrian refugees. In offering protection from persecution we, in return, receive creativity, hard-work, and friendship; we are made new.
We hope that your visit, continuing the long friendship between our countries, will give you the opportunity to see and hear that life in all its fullness does not come at the exclusion of others.
At the start of your Presidency, His Holiness Pope Francis prayed for wisdom and strength as you exercise your office.
We join our prayers with his, and pray that, as you look to the God who exults the poor and lifts up the lowly, you will remember the poorest and most recently arrived in your country, who, like many Scots before them, have so much to offer to your country and the world.
Rev Dr Richard Frazer, Convener Church and Society Council, Church of Scotland
Mr John Collings, Church and Society Secretary, National Synod of Scotland, United Reformed Church
Grace Buckley, member of the National Justice and Peace Commission for Scotland, a commission of the Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Rev’d  Joan Lyon, Priest-in-Charge at St Ninian’s, Aberdeen, and an NHS chaplain for the Scottish Episcopal Church
Rev Nicholas Bowry, Curate at St Clement’s Church, Aberdeen
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Phyllis Stephen
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

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