Clinton’s sympathy for Scots over Trump visit
Presidential hopeful faces hundreds of protesters during Turnberry visit
HILLARY Clinton has sent a message to Scots protesters preparing to greet Donald Trump when he arrives to open his Ayrshire golf resort today, telling them: “We know how you feel.”
The Republican US presidential hopeful will jet into Scotland with members of his family to cut the ribbon at the newly refurbished Turnberry resort.
But a Stand Up To Trump protest has been organised at the hotel and golf course, after almost 587,000 people signed a petition calling for the billionaire to be banned from entering the UK.
Meanwhile, the campaigning organisation 38 Degrees plans to send a plane to circle overhead during the opening ceremony flying a banner with the message “Love Trumps Hate”.
Mrs Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for US President, shared a video on her Twitter profile highlighting her Republican counterpart’s unpopularity in Scotland and wider UK.
Claiming the controversial billionaire businessman is viewed as a “grotesque American curiosity” across the Atlantic, Ms Clinton wrote: “People in Scotland are not thrilled about Trump coming to their country. We know the feeling.”
The 100-second video includes testimony from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon labelling Mr Trump’s comments on the Islamic faith and Muslim community as “deeply, deeply offensive”.
It also features clashes between Mr Trump and Prime Minister David Cameron, as well as London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who the reality TV star challenged to an IQ test.
Against a tartan backdrop and bagpipe soundtrack, the video asks American voters to consider what foreign policy would be like under a Trump presidency “if this is how he treats our greatest ally as a candidate”. It ends with the message: “All we can say is we know how you feel, Scotland.”
Protesters say Mr Trump has “ramped up levels of racism, Islamophobia, and bigotry” during his presidential bid. His proposed policies include building a wall on the country’s border with Mexico and temporarily banning Muslims from entering America.
The protest is supported by a number of organisations including Stand Up to Racism Scotland, the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees and Unite the Union Scotland. Police said they have spoken with protest groups and officers will be deployed to ensure the day passes off peacefully.
Keir McKechnie, spokesman for Stand Up to Racism Scotland, said they were challenging Mr Trump’s “message of hate”.
“Although this protest happens to be taking place in Scotland, we want to represent people across the whole of the UK and beyond who reject Trump’s racism and Islamophobia,” he said.
But Christina Auld, owner of the Links Lodge near the golf resort, said that the property tycoon’s involvement was “good for the area”. “He’s bringing in a lot of revenue,” she said. “The shops will be better. The historic sights will benefit from him. I just think he’s going to make a great difference to the area.”