Police were called to Donald Trump’s north-east golf resort yesterday after protestors staged a demonstration at his hotel.
The protest was organised by the left-wing group Rise to “send a message” to the US Presidential hopeful that Scotland “disagrees with the outrageous things he has said” during the Republican nomination race.
It came the day before a UK parliamentary debate on whether the billionaire tycoon should be banned from the country following his widely-condemned call for Muslims to be temporarily banned from entering America in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.
A group of about 20 people arrived at Trump International Golf Links at Balmedie shortly after 3pm.
The protestors filled the front reception of the MacLeod House and Lodge Hotel and started singing songs.
Staff called the police who arrived and eventually escorted the demonstrators from the building about 30 minutes later. There were no arrests made.
Last night, the Trump organisation dismissed the demonstration as “ineffective”.
A spokeswoman said: “A handful of unkempt, ineffective, so-called ‘protestors’ arrived at reception, photographed themselves and were promptly escorted off the property by the police within twenty minutes.”
One demonstrator, Jack Ferguson, who travelled from Glasgow for the protest, said someone needed to make a stand.
“This was not about anybody that works at the golf course – this was about the man who owns it, who is the world’s most prominent racist,” he said.
“His comments about Mexicans and Muslims are reminiscent of the kinds of things said about Jews in the 1930s.
“This is about sending him a message that Scotland disagrees with the outrageous things he has said.”
Mr Ferguson said that the majority of the demonstrators came from the north-east.
He added: “While we don’t have a vote in this election, its results affect the entire world.”
Rise (Respect, Independence, Socialism and Environmentalism) was launched in August.
It describes itself as a grass-roots movement which formed in the wake of the independence referendum.
The group has put forward candidates for this year’s Holyrood election, but there are so far none in the north-east, with two in the Highlands.
Rise Scotland has said it is also targeting Mr Trump’s Turnberry hotel and golf course in Ayrshire.
A spokesman added: “Donald Trump needs to know that he is not welcome in Scotland.”