US Vice President JD Vance was met by jeering pro-Palestine protesters as he arrived for the Scottish leg of his family holiday to the UK.
President Donald Trump’s second-in-command landed at Prestwick Airport on Wednesday evening before travelling with a large motorcade to the luxury Carnell Estate near Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire.
He was greeted at the resort by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters, who accused him of supporting a "genocide" by Israel in Gaza.
The demonstrators were kettled by police as they bashed pots and pans, waved Palestine flags and shouted pro-Palestine chants.
Police had initially told the protesters they would need to move to a different space nearby and that officers would force them to do so if they refused.
Airspace restrictions are in place around the estate until Sunday.
Mr Vance will reportedly spend five days in Scotland – the same amount of time as his boss during his trip to the country last month.
Mr Trump split his stay between his golf courses in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, during which time he met Scottish First Minister John Swinney and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
A representative of Police Scotland said: “This visit requires a significant police operation and we have appropriate resources in place using local, national and specialist officers from across Police Scotland.”
Mr Vance had been on holiday in the Cotswolds and travelled to the UK Foreign Secretary’s Chevening House retreat in Kent on Friday – joining David Lammy for a spot of carp fishing at the countryside estate.
The two men held a meeting where Mr Vance said they “worked on one of our most important shared security goals in Europe, which is the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine”.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Vance described the UK-US relationship as “a beautiful alliance” during a speech at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Also on Wednesday, Mr Vance and Mr Trump joined a call with Mr Starmer and leaders from across Europe, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss the war in Ukraine.
During the call, Mr Starmer said Mr Trump’s interventions over the Ukraine war have created a “viable” chance of a ceasefire.
