Protesters target Donald Trump at Scottish hotel launch
Activists from the group Stand Up To Racism gathered outside the Trump Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire, chanting ‘Say it loud, say it clear, Donald Trump’s not welcome here’.
The US presidential hopeful has taken a break from his election campaign to attend the re-launch of the 110-year-old venue, which he bought for an undisclosed sum in 2014.
It follows an eight month £200m refurbishment of the 103-room site, where suites can cost up to £3,500 a night.
Writing on Twitter, Trump described the resort as ‘great’ and ‘magnificent’.
He said: “Congratulations to my son, Eric, on the fantastic job he has done in rebuilding Turnberry, and its great Ailsa Course.”
But the outspoken billionaire has attracted criticism for his comments throughout his election campaign, after he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States and described Mexican immigrants as ‘criminals’.
Stand Up To Racism said its protest was to show that ‘Donald Trump's brand of bigotry is not welcome in Scotland’.
Prior to Trump’s arrival Keir McKechnie, spokesman for Stand Up to Racism Scotland, told the BBC: "His message of hate is one that we'll challenge and we would not encourage anyone to support him in his presidency.
"We want to represent people across the whole of the UK and beyond who reject Trump's racism and Islamophobia.”
"Refugees in Trump Out!" #DumpTrumpScot StandUpToRacism pic.twitter.com/jhS8sPWgpd
— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) June 24, 2016
Earlier this week UK hotel booking site EarnAway removed all Trump properties from its site after a number of user complaints, adding that it no longer wanted to ‘effectively help fund the campaign’.
Last year a Glasgow MSP called on the public to boycott the billionaire's Scottish ventures, branding him a 'bigoted blowhard' for his political views.
The Trump Turnberry is the tycoon’s second golfing venture in Scotland, after he opened the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire in 2012.
