US VICE-president JD Vance has arrived in Ayrshire to the sound of rattling pots and a reminder of the millions being starved by the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The protest on Wednesday formed part of ongoing action by Mothers Against Genocide, which answered the call of journalist in Gaza, Bisan Owda, for people to bang pots and pans.

Protesters are carrying out the pot banging each day at 6pm at more than 20 locations across Scotland to draw attention to the forced starvation of the people of Gaza by the Israeli regime.

But as protesters gathered outside the gates of the private Carnell Estate to greet Mr Vance, they were met by dozens of uniformed police.

A gaggle of undercover cops were also present, working in concert with US secret service personnel who roamed the public roads in golf buggies.

Initial efforts by police to move the protesters on to a “designated protest area” on a roundabout a mile away to “ensure safety” were refused, as was a later request to move from the verge in which they had gathered and on to a nearby side road.

The vice-president’s motorcade set out on the 10-mile journey from Prestwick Airport to Carnell, while police formed a cordon in front of the protesters.

But this did little to quiet the din of pots and pans, or the chants of “JD Vance, USA, how many kids did you kill today?!”

A spokesperson for Mothers Against Genocide told the Star: “The vice-president of the United States is currently on holiday in Scotland.

“The US is complicit in the genocide: their tax dollars are funding the decimation of Gaza. There is no holiday for the Palestinians.

“With basically no food, water and medical aid getting in, Gaza is at level 5 starvation which JD Vance could change today. There are truckloads of aid waiting at the border but Israel continues to hold Gaza siege, with the US’s support.

“This is a US-backed Israeli-genocide. As parents, we can’t idly sit by and watch war crimes, including the collective punishment of men, women and children, continue. We are hoping to disturb Mr Vance’s holiday and remind him of his international duties and obligations.”