55-Year-Old Paraglider Arrested For Flying ‘Trump Well Below Par’ Banner In Turnberry No Fly Zone
A 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an anti-Trump protest during which a paraglider flew close to the president, bearing an anti-Trump message. (A paraglider, for those not familiar, is essentially a parachute with a motor.)
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, while Trump was playing golf at a Scotland resort during his U.K. “working visit,” a person flying a paraglider breached the air space exclusion zone around Donald Trump and reportedly flew “within a few feet” of the president. The paraglider was carrying a banner that bore the message “Trump Well Blow Par #Resist,” a simultaneous dig at the president’s fondness for golf and the protesters’ views on Trump as a person.
Though snipers were poised on the roof of the nearby clubhouse, it does not appear that any shots were fired. Trump, for his part, was hustled into the building by his security detail. However, a police spokesperson, speaking to BBC News, confirmed that the person doing the stunt was “in grave danger.”
“And there’s no doubt anybody who breaches security around him puts themselves in grave danger. On this occasion we could assess the situation and we realised there was no direct threat to the president however it’s absolutely something that is very serious.”
The stunt was orchestrated by the environmentalist advocacy group Greenpeace. Spokesman Ben Stewart explained why his group chose to protest Trump in that way.
“The vast majority of British people are appalled by his words and deeds. He is, simply, the worst president ever. That’s why we flew over him with a message branding him well below par.”
Greenpeace has flown a paraglider over Turnberry, where Trump is staying this weekend. The paraglider carried a banner bearing the message, 'Trump: Well Below Par.' https://t.co/oxWgDV1sGj
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 13, 2018
As The Evening Standard reports, police have arrested a 55-year-old man in connection with the incident. Police are not revealing his name, however. In a brief statement, Police Scotland confirmed the arrest.
“Police Scotland can confirm that a 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an incident when a powered parachute was flown in the vicinity of the Turnberry Hotel around 9.45 pm on Friday, 13 July 2018.”
According to Yahoo News, the man is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. Further, Yahoo News reports that Greenpeace had informed the police about the stunt before it happened. It is unclear, as of this writing, which charges the man will face, although one likely criminal charge would be breach of an air exclusion zone.
Trump’s visit to the U.K. has been met with widespread and enthusiastic protests.
