A quaint Cotswolds village has found itself at the centre of national attention in recent days, as protesters descend on the quiet hamlet to protest JD Vance’s holiday.
Dozens of people gathered in the usually quiet Oxfordshire countryside this week to tell the US vice president that he was “not welcome” in the area.
Mr Vance is staying in a Grade II listed country manor in the hamlet of Dean, sparking a “circus” in the vicinity of the 6-acre site as residents face roadblocks and police door knocks.
Despite the sniffer dogs and police presence, protesters still gathered in the village for a “not welcome” party, equipped with banners, cake and plenty of pictures of an unflattering meme of the vice president.
Local media described a crowd of between 50 to 100 people gathering in the nearby village of Charlbury, as they said he was “simply not welcome here”.
Dozens of people gathered in the usually quiet Oxfordshire countryside this week to tell the US vice president that he was ‘not welcome’ in the area (Reuters)
Many placards referenced Mr Vance’s own words, with a woman holding a sign saying “Cotswolds childless cat ladies say go home”, and many quoting his 2016 statement that he was a “Never Trump guy”.
“He’s simply not welcome here,” one woman told The Guardian: “That’s not what we’re about. We don’t want anything to do with people like him.”
Despite the sniffer dogs and police presence, protesters still gathered in the village for a “not welcome” party (Getty)
A number of protesters referenced the US government’s support for Israel amid the starvation and bombardment of Gaza, with several placards reading “end the genocide” and calling the vice president a “war criminal”.
One protester told The Guardian: “That wouldn’t happen without this US government.”
When meeting with the UK foreign secretary David Lammy last week, the US vice president questioned the UK’s plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
A number of protesters referenced the US government’s support for Israel amid the starvation and bombardment of Gaza, with several placards reading ‘end the genocide’ and calling the vice president a ‘war criminal’ (Reuters)
He said both the UK and US wanted to “solve” the crisis in Gaza, but “may have some disagreements about how exactly to accomplish that goal, and we’ll talk about that today”.
Another protestor described his treatment of Volodymyr Zelensky as “disgusting” and that the confrontation between the pair in the White House was “disgraceful”.
Other more satirical signs read “JD Vance claps when the plane lands” and “JD Vance’s Netflix password is ‘password’”.
Other more satirical signs read “JD Vance claps when the plane lands” and “JD Vance’s Netflix password is ‘password’”. (AFP/Getty)
One picture was everywhere – an edited picture of a bald Mr Vance, which has become a commonly used meme on social media.
As well as being on a number of placards, a van was seen driving around the area with a giant screen displaying the image on its side.
US Homeland Security officials were forced to deny claims by a Norwegian tourist in June that he had been denied entry into the United States after agents found a version of the meme on his phone.
One picture was everywhere – an edited picture of Mr Vance which has become a commonly used meme on social media. (Everybody Hates Elon)
Local residents have described the major disruption his holiday has brought to their usually sleepy villages.
Road closures, sniffer dogs, police and a number of blacked out cars have all been spotted in the area, a marked difference to the usual calm and quaint atmosphere of a Cotswold country retreat.
Though the village is no stranger to high-profile faces, with it being the home to former prime minister David Cameron, the level of security has prompted the owners of the manor to apologise to locals “for the circus”.
Local media described a crowd of between 50 to 100 people gathering in the nearby village of Charlbury, as they said he was “simply not welcome here”. (Reuters)
Locals have described being stopped at road blocks and questioned by police, which some have described as a waste of resources.
Toby Bull, 18, told the Oxford Mail at Tuesday’s protest: “He is using up the police resources when the only major police stations nearby are in Oxford and Banbury.”
He added: “We’re very used to having celebrities and famous people around here. This protest shows how particular unhappy we are with him coming here.”
Locals have described being stopped at road blocks and questioned by police, which some have described as a waste of resources. (Getty)
Mr Vance and his family are renting the luxurious home from of its owners Johnny and Pippa Hornby, who bought the property in 2017 and have since received plaudits in Tatler for having transformed its Edwardian garden into a “waterworld” with an impressive swimming pool.
During his stay, Mr Vance can enjoy the two cellars, tennis court, rose garden, gym and Georgian orangery all set within the six-acres of land the house sits on.
The 18th-century home offers pre-arranged visits to its gardens, which are set behind stone walls with “an abundant and varied selection of climbing/rambling roses, clematis and hydrangeas”.
When Mr Vance arrived for his visit, he said: “It is great to be here… my wife and I love this area of the UK and we were actually here a couple of years ago. We love this country.”