THE Scottish Greens have said Donald Trump, US president and convicted criminal, should not be welcomed in Scotland.
It comes after reports on Tuesday revealed that Police Scotland were preparing plans for a potential visit from Trump later this month.
In 2023, he was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to buy her silence, as well as facing sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1970s.
Now, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said there is “no way” Trump should be welcomed in the country ahead of his reported visit later this month.
Harvie said: “There is no way that Donald Trump should be welcomed to Scotland. He is a convicted felon and political extremist who has shown a complete lack of respect for human rights and democracy in America and around the world.
“His Vice President has attacked the democratic system of Scotland when he lied about a bill my colleague Gillian Mackay passed and his former billionaire bestie Elon Musk has spread misinformation about our country online, as well as other far right conspiracy theories.”
The party has long called for an investigation into Trump’s Scottish finances through an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO).
A UWO is a power held by the Scottish Government to investigate the finances of politically active individuals who have gained wealth through suspicious means.
With Trump’s Menie Estate golf course, which he is set to visit when he arrives in Scotland, cited in one of the felony charges, the Greens say that “it's now clearer than ever that a UWO must be used”.
Harvie continued: “At home, Donald Trump has sent troops onto the streets to threaten his own citizens, he is constructing a concentration camp in Florida and he has underfunded crucial services which have already cost the lives of working-class people.
“Not to mention his contempt for international law by welcoming Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington DC – a man who has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes – and celebrating the collective punishment of innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“I am urging the SNP Government to make it clear that Trump is not welcome in Scotland. Because I am sure that on the streets of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and anywhere else he may go, the people of Scotland will make it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here.”
It is speculated that Trump’s visit will be between July 24 and 28, with reports on BBC's Good Morning Scotland highlighting that rooms at the Menie and Turnberry estates are unavailable for booking during those four days.
