AWARD-WINNING Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty has been arrested by Police Scotland, The National understands.
Laverty, who has won the Palme d’Or for his collaborations with director Ken Loach, was detained by officers in Edinburgh on Monday.
It is understood that Laverty faces a terrorism charge for wearing a T-shirt stating: “Genocide in Palestine time to take action”.
In other cases, the garment has been alleged to be in support of Palestine Action, a protest group proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Labour Government in July.
Laverty was arrested in the Summerhall courtyard, with officers allegedly instructing people to delete video of the incident or have their phones seized.
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which produced the T-shirt, said Laverty had been taken to the police station on St Leonards Street and that activists would be heading down as well to show support.
After being released, Laverty said he had been charged under terrorism legislation and had been told to appear in court on September 18.
"It's quite surreal getting your fingerprints taken and a swab at the age of 68, never having been in a problem with police in my life," he said.
"I thought it was very, very important that we actually change the narrative. It's not about this T-shirt. It's actually about genocide."
Laverty further said he believed "most important court" is the court of public opinion, adding: "That is the really important court, not the one on 18 September, not the Mickey Mouse court, not those pedantic little people who have got a microscope up and look at the size of the font on the T-shirt: Genocide in Palestine time to take action.
"What we have to do is see the big picture. What we have to do is stop arms sales which are being used today to cause misery, starvation, and genocide.
"The court of public opinion, that's what counts."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Following a protest outside St Leonards Police Station on Monday, 25 August 2025, a 68-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for showing support for a proscribed organisation. Enquiries are continuing."
Laverty has been wearing the allegedly offending T-shirt across his appearances at the Edinburgh festivals.
Last week, he and Loach joined a demonstration against the proscription of Palestine Action.
At the demonstration, Laverty was filmed giving a speech in which he accused Labour ministers of failing to uphold their “duty under the Genocide Convention to take immediate action to punish and to stop genocide”.
Earlier this month, the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) warned that policing of Palestine protests risked infringing on people's right to freedom of expression and assembly.
The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Turk, has warned that Labour’s proscription of Palestine Action puts the UK "at odds" with international law.
Irish author Sally Rooney has said she will continue to support the group, leading to a terror warning from the UK Government.
