Nicola Sturgeon sends a defiant message to Donald Trump as he ‘relaxes’ in Scotland

On the same day Donald Trump teed off at his luxury Turnberry golf resort, Nicola Sturgeon sent a powerful message to the world.
Sturgeon led the Glasgow Pride march on 14 July, becoming the only sitting first minister in the UK to have done so.
“Equality and fairness at all times”
Taking the position of grand marshal, the first minister joined thousands taking part in the Glasgow Pride event.
Speaking beforehand, Sturgeon said:
I’m proud that Scotland is considered to be one of the most progressive countries in Europe regarding LGBTI equality and Pride Glasgow is a fantastic event that brings communities together and celebrates all that LGBTI people bring to Scottish life.
As a society we must champion equality and fairness at all times and defend the progress that has been made.
Around 50,000 people were expected to line the streets to watch the parade as the city centre came to a standstill for the day:
Read on...
❤️ Love trumps hate. @NicolaSturgeon is the first First Minister to lead Pride. #GlasgowPride pic.twitter.com/gW5l9idnqa
— Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) July 14, 2018
A message of hope
It’s been a busy week on the streets of Scotland. Thousands gathered in Glasgow and Dundee in a message of hope against Donald Trump on 13 July:
For all the beautiful things about this weekend, knowing that Glasgow's been occupied en masse in the spirit of hope and inclusion against forces of hatred and supremacy is definitely among the most uplifting. This is our city. Fuck Trump, and happy #pride everybody 🌻🌈 pic.twitter.com/ZM8fM7b5H1
— Fraser Stewart 🌻 (@fraserjfstewart) July 14, 2018
The anti-Trump march passed in good spirits. But it’s fair to say the pride parade cranked things up a notch:
GLASGOW PRIDE! 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/ERAij1j3B9
— Ardit Haliti (@ardit_haliti) July 14, 2018
As well as being a celebration, Pride is still a day of protest. LGBTQ+ rights have progressed massively over the past few decades in Scotland. But the first minister made it clear that much more needs to be done:
A hard reminder that homophobic hate crime still happens. But it must not be tolerated and it is not who we are as a country. Blair – I applaud your dignity, courage and compassion, and today as Glasgow celebrates #pride let us show that these are the values that define us. https://t.co/e5OG0CzPkH
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) July 14, 2018
No love lost
In Edinburgh, thousands were also marching on 14 July. This was a further protest against Trump’s visit to Scotland:
Grote anti-Trump demo in #Edinburgh #trumpscotland pic.twitter.com/S8OrB5PRc1
— marja sol (@marjasol) July 14, 2018
The president has not received a warm welcome in his mother’s homeland. And it seems there’s no love lost between him and the first minister either.
Reports came out that Trump “hates” Sturgeon on 13 July. An ex-government aide told the Huffington Post that Trump regularly spends time discussing the SNP leader with Theresa May.
Sturgeon has not shown much warmth back to the president, stripping him of his business ambassador status in Scotland and poking fun prior to him landing in the UK.
Whatever continues to go on behind the scenes, the first minister sent a loud and powerful message of defiance today. It seems love really does trump hate.
Get Involved!
– Join The Canary, so we can keep holding the powerful to account.
Featured image via Kenneth Halley – Wikimedia and Voice of America – Wikimedia
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?