U.S. Vice President JD Vance has sparked anger in the Cotswolds after his 22-vehicle security convoy took every disabled parking space outside Daylesford Organic, a luxury farm shop near Chipping Norton, England.
On Sunday, Secret Service agents parked 22 large black SUVs in bays reserved for Blue Badge holders at Daylesford Organic.
Highlights
- JD Vance's 22-vehicle security convoy took all disabled parking spots at Daylesford Organic, angering locals in the Cotswolds.
- Vance's visit caused road closures, police checkpoints, and sealed footpaths, disrupting the quiet countryside village.
- Locals protested with a 'Vance Not Welcome' party, using placards and satire to express their anger.
Locals said the spaces were blocked while Vance toured the shop with Lord Antony Bamford, a billionaire Conservative donor.
JD Vance's 22-vehicle security convoy took every disabled parking spot outside a shop in the Cotswolds
Image credits: Leon Neal/Getty Images
“That whole area was black SUVs. They took up the whole f***ing car park. It meant that I couldn’t get to Daylesford. It is annoying a lot of people because it’s so over the top.”
Another resident posted on social media: “For God’s sake! So JD Vance’s security think it is completely acceptable to take every single disabled allocated parking space at Daylesford Farm.
“Ghastly and totally wrong and inconsiderate, is me being polite. We don’t want him and his 22 security vehicles on our manor! Leave us alone.”
The shop is owned by Lord Bamford’s wife, Lady Carole, and is known for high-end goods, including £3,500 side tables and a £6,950 wooden bowl, according to The Daily Mail.
Witnesses say Vance spent about three hours inside, showing interest in the bread counter.
The Vice President is on holiday at Dean Manor, an 18th-century country house in the hamlet of Dean. His arrival brought road closures, police checkpoints, and sniffer dogs.
Only residents were allowed to pass the roadblocks, while others were checked and footpaths were sealed.
Jonathan Mazower, communications director for Survival International, a charity that works with Indigenous peoples, lives near Vance’s stay. “There’s massive disruption – all roads and footpaths have been closed, all cars are searched, no visitors are allowed in. There are police and U.S. Secret Service agents everywhere,” he said.
“But more important than the disruption is what he represents. On the whole, people here are very much live and let live, but this is something else entirely. Trump’s No. 2 coming here feels like an absolute outrage and imposition.”
“The massive police and Secret Service presence makes any normal protest impossible, so we’ve had to resort to putting up placards around the village, some of which are being taken down.”
Image credits: David Davies/Getty Images
One dog walker told the Observer that police “knocked on every door” asking for residents’ names and social media details.
Thames Valley Police deny this, saying people were under no obligation to answer questions and were not asked about social media.
Andy Graham, councillor of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We understand that people do need security, but I think they haven't been discreet about it.”
Cotswolds locals are protesting against Vance's presence with a "Vance Not Welcome" party
Image credits: Guardian News
Locals have been protesting in their own way. An anti-JD Vance van has been driven around Charlbury in the Cotswolds, displaying a doctored image of him.
On Tuesday, about 100 people joined a “Vance Not Welcome” party in Charlbury’s village park, close to where Vance is staying.
The party had cake and music, but also placards criticizing Vance’s policies.
Image credits: Guardian News
Signs read “Make Charlbury great again – go home” and “Rolling hills, not rolling back climate change.” Others mocked Vance with memes and jokes about him.
Vance arrived in the Cotswolds with his wife, Usha, and their three children after a private tour of Hampton Court. He has met public figures, including Nigel Farage and The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, who posted photos from a barbecue at Dean Manor.
Image credits: Guardian News
Vance’s trip to the Cotswolds follows an extended run of personal travel. Earlier this month, he was in Ohio for his 41st birthday canoe outing, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporarily raised the water level of the Little Miami River, a move that was criticized as being special treatment.
Last month, as immigration raids were underway, Vance was seen at Disneyland in California with his family, where visitors booed him as he walked through the park.