Scottish protests against Trump presidency

Protesters draped banners over North Bridge in Edinburgh to mark Mr Trump's inauguration

Protests against Donald Trump have taken place across Scotland to oppose his presidency.

Hundreds of protesters marched from Edinburgh's North Bridge to the US Consulate on Regent Terrace to coincide with Trump being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.

Earlier, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon congratulated President Trump.

She wished the Trump administration well dealing with "great global challenges".

Mr Trump, whose mother was born in Scotland, owns two Scottish golf courses - which will be controlled by his sons while he is in office - and has a history of involvement in Scottish politics.

His first foreign trip as Republican candidate for the White House was to Scotland, taking in his golf courses at Turnberry and in Aberdeenshire.

• Follow the inauguration on the BBC's live page

• Donald Trump's uneasy relationship with Scotland

The then President-elect spoke with Ms Sturgeon on the phone to discuss the "longstanding relationship between Scotland and the United States" in December.

The first minister, who endorsed Mr Trump's rival Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly condemned comments Mr Trump made during his campaign, having earlier stripped him of his role as a business ambassador for Scotland.

Protests were held across Scotland, including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Protesters were armed with banners with wording including: "Love Trumps Hate", "No to racism, no to Trump" and "Hey Donald, I hope you step on a lego".

Stand Up to Racism organised the Edinburgh protests

Mr Trump and Ms Sturgeon spoke on the phone in December

The demonstration in Edinburgh was organised by Stand Up To Racism. Hundreds of people chanted slogans such as "Donald Trump go to hell - take the KKK as well" and "Donald Trump, go away - sexist, racist, anti-gay".

Ahead of the march, a group called the Order of Perpetual Indulgence - which aims to end prejudice and intolerance - performed an excommunication on the new commander-in-chief.

Sister Ann Tici Pation said: "The order indicts Donald J Trump, and all his greedy, self-serving minions, for sins against decency.

"Including but not limited to the following acts of racism, misogyny, xenophobia, hate-mongering, cruelty, greed and contempt of the truth.

"We wish him wind farms around his golf course... and declare him excommunicated and we judge him condemned to an icy hell of complete irrelevance."

'Character problem'

Speaking ahead of the event in Washington DC, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Ms Sturgeon said: "I congratulate President Trump on taking office today. There are great global challenges to be faced, and I wish his administration well in dealing with them.

"The ties of family, friendship and business that bind our countries are very deep and longstanding. We share fundamental values of equality tolerance and and human rights and I hope to see these values upheld during the new president's term in office.

"Scotland and the United States will continue to co-operate in those areas where we share common interests and goals, and, when appropriate, we will also look to have constructive dialogue on issues where our views differ."

Mr Trump has held a lengthy and often colourful correspondence with former First Minister Alex Salmond.

Mr Salmond said after the inaugural address: "It was shorter, angrier - it was campaign rhetoric. There was much less than I expected of reaching out to all the Americans who didn't vote for him.

"There was a lot of God it, even by inauguration standards, for someone who's found religion comparatively recently.

"So maybe it's a case of may God bless America, and may God help the rest of us."

A crowd of protesters also gathered at the top of Glasgow's Buchanan Street

Aberdeen was another of the locations for anti-Trump protests

Protestors in Edinburgh draped banners over North Bridge carrying messages including "there is no planet B" and "build bridges not walls".

Speaking for the "Edinburgh Bridges Not Walls" group, Alys Mumford said the protestors were taking action to "reject the rise of a dangerous and divisive far-right politics".

She said: "The new normal that the far right is seeking will roll back decades of progress on civil rights, gender equality and the environment. It is up to all of us to take responsibility for actively rejecting this."