Climate activists have sprayed red paint on the doors of Scottish Parliament building in protest after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak backed hundreds of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.
The This Is Rigged pressure group is demanding that the Scottish Government vocally oppose all new oil and gas licensing, and create a clear and fully funded plan for a fair transition for Scotland’s oil workers.
The group said four activists were involved in the incident at around 1.30pm on Tuesday.
The group said on Twitter: “(The Scottish Government’s) silence on new oil and gas is deafening. They must vocally oppose all new oil and gas, or they are complicit.”
An attached video showed activists covering the front of the public entrance in a red substance, including the sign above the door.
One of the activists involved said: “I took action today as a direct response to Rishi Sunak’s statement yesterday that he has approved 100 new oil licences for next year.
“The IPCC report states clearly that even one new oil licence is a death sentence for millions and will actively make our future unlivable.
“The silence of the Scottish Government in light of this makes them complicit. It is time for Scotland to stand up to Westminster and demand climate justice.”
Another activist added: “We need the Scottish Government to stand up to the Tories’ murderous oil licensing plans.
“The IPCC is telling us the future the Tories have us on track for, is not livable and history tells us how to fight back, through civil disobedience.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of protestors at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh shortly after 1.40pm on Tuesday, August 1.
“Officers are in attendance.”
Over the past two weeks, the group has been blockading the Ineos Grangemouth oil terminal and the NuStar oil terminal in Clydebank, as well as scaling the Kelpies last week and spray painting a portrait of King Charles
A spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament said: “These protestors have repeatedly targeted the Scottish Parliament and its democratic functions.
“As a result of their actions today, we have had to cancel our free public tours and close the building earlier than scheduled.
“Up to 1,000 people visit Holyrood a day at this time of year, and many will have been severely inconvenienced – not just those who had booked on to tours but other members of the public who wish to visit and engage with their national Parliament.
“This is now a matter for Police Scotland.”
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