A SCOTTISH Greens campaign manager has been arrested under terror laws weeks after attending pro-Palestine protests.
Adam McGibbon, campaign coordinator for the Edinburgh Greens, took part in two protests in the capital where he held a sign which read "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action".
The protests on July 19 and September 6 were organised in response to the Labour Government's proscription of Palestine Action, which makes it a criminal offence for anyone to be a member of or show support for the direct action group.
The protest on July 19 was a national demonstration called in response to the UK Government and the media's complicity in the genocide in Gaza.
Meanwhile, a silent protest took place outside the UK Government's offices on September 6, where around 100 people wrote "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action" on placards.
Police have continued arresting people for taking part in the September 6 protest. The National has previously reported on claims that Police Scotland has wrongly accused a number of Scots of breaching terrorism laws after misidentifying people who were at the protest.
It is understood McGibbon was arrested and charged with two offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Friday, in connection with the two protests he attended – weeks after the demonstrations took place.
The 37-year-old has worked as a campaign manager for the Greens in both Scotland and England and Wales for the last 18 years.
McGibbon told The National he did not regret his actions, as he condemned Labour's decision to proscribe Palestine Action.
"The Labour Party are eroding our democracy by making peaceful protest groups illegal. This is how we're going to lose our democracy unless it's overturned," he said.
"If I'm a terrorist for doing this, then who's next? Trade unionists, environmental activists? They're creating a situation where this government or the next government could criminalise peaceful protest in a democracy, and that needs to be stopped."
McGibbon said he thought the Police Scotland officers he dealt with believed the terror charge was a "waste of police time".
"Inside the custody suite, I was mostly saying no comment, but I did say to the two police officers who arrested me that I thought this was a waste of their time, and it was not what they signed up to do when they joined the police," he said.
He claimed one of the officers then responded: "No comment."
"It was pretty clear that they do believe this is a waste of their time," McGibbon added.
It is understood McGibbon's case is now with the Procurator Fiscal, who will determine what action will be taken.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 37-year-old man was arrested in Edinburgh on 3 October in relation to offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. He was released and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
