A member of climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion has been arrested after allegedly climbing onto the roof of the Scottish Parliament building.
The man unfurled a banner calling on members of Scotland’s Climate Citizens Assembly to “be bold” at Holyrood shortly before 8am on Thursday, March 4.
Officers from Police Scotland were called to the scene and a 61-year-old man has since been arrested.
In a statement, the Extinction Rebellion Scotland said they believed the task force were “frightened of rocking the boat” and had not addressed the seriousness of the climate change emergency.
They said they were previously members of the stewarding group but pulled out after deciding that a wide enough range of evidence had not been heard.
Justin Kenrick, one of the former members of the stewarding group, said: “There was never any evaluation of the seriousness of the climate emergency.
“There was a lot of focus on being fair to different sectors in Scotland but not fairness to those elsewhere in the world suffering now or to future generations.
“To be fair in that fundamental way you have to first assess how serious the emergency is, and the assembly never collectively had the opportunity to do that.”
Extinction Rebellion Scotland member Kate Dyer added: “This is the moment where we actually have a real chance of circumventing the status quo of traditional politics which is only committed to not rocking the boat.
“The citizens sitting in this assembly have a chance to respond to the root causes of this emergency and turn the ship around. We are asking assembly members to be bold.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers were called to the Scottish Parliament building Edinburgh, around 7.35am on Thursday 4 March 2021, following reports a person was on the roof.
"A 61-year-old man has been arrested and enquiries continue."
A Scotland’s Climate Assembly spokesperson added: “Scotland’s Climate Assembly has deliberated on a broad range of robust and complex evidence over the past several months.
“This evidence gave a clear picture of the severity of the climate emergency.
“Our members - more than 100 people from all walks of life across Scotland - are now working hard to agree their recommendations for how the country should tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way.
“Of course we welcome a lively public debate on these vital issues.
“The Assembly operates independently, following a rigorous process based on international best practices for participatory democracy, and it is for members alone to decide their recommendations.
“The Assembly benefited from input from Extinction Rebellion early on in the process as members of our stewarding group and it was disappointing when they chose not to continue with this role.”
