Residents living in a village where JD Vance is spending his summer holiday have reacted with fury to the disruption to their lives caused by heightened security measures. Some have called the situation “ridiculous”.
The US Vice President is staying at Dean Manor – a Grade II-listed country home owned by Johnny and Pippa Hornby and located in the small hamlet of Dean. He is joined by his wife Usha and children Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. Locals are having to endure major disruption to their normally quiet lives for the duration of the Vance family’s visit.
They have faced road closures and security checkpoints overseen by police with sniffer dogs.
Moreover, police enforced a lockdown on Monday to allow the US Vice President’s enormous motorcade of 18 vehicles to travel through the area.
One woman told The Times that the situation in the village was akin to a “blinking pantomime”. She added: “We are used to the great and good here. Before David Cameron moved in we had Douglas Hurd and he was lovely.
“We have Ben Kingsley in Spelsbury and we see him in the woods walking his dog, but to close off the roads is ridiculous”
Officers have also reportedly been knocking on doors asking residents for their personal details and social media accounts. A resident told the Observer: “I know several people refused. We asked them if they were protecting us, or Vance.
“At least they were honest and said it is for him and that it will all be passed on to the American security people.”
Meanwhile, demonstrators gathered in Charlbury, close to where Mr Vance is staying, holding banners mocking the US Vice President.
During the protest, several people held images of a widely shared meme depicting Vance with a bald head.
The meme went viral after a Norwegian tourist claimed he was not allowed into the US after immigration agents saw it on his phone. US Homeland Security officials denied the claim, saying he had been turned away for admitting drug use.
