Virginia Rodino, 29, a teacher from Washington DC, said that she had travelled from the US for the opportunity to protest. “My demand is for the G8 leaders to leave Scotland,” she said. “These are secret meetings, they are not even formalised, and there is no public participation. They should allow the people to make the decisions that are affecting their lives.” Asked about the significance of her T-shirt, which bore the message “Insurgent”, she said: “It means I’m in solidarity with the courageous Iraqi resistance.”