A SCOTTISH arts centre was shut down after a pro-Palestine protest occupied the building.
Art Workers for Palestine Scotland had organised a week-long takeover at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow, running from Tuesday to Saturday.
The event was set to feature events, workshops and screenings that showcase Palestinian art and culture and interrogate "the complicity of Scottish cultural institutions" in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The takeover was set to be held in the public courtyard in what was described as a response to the CCA board’s recent refusal to adopt a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policy or endorse the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
The PACBI advocates for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions.
Earlier this year, an open letter signed by more than 800 artists, workers and audiences urged the CCA to take action to endorse PACBI and align policy with its public values, but the board has reportedly refused.
On Tuesday afternoon, around eight police vans were seen outside the venue, as police entered the building where protesters were occupying.
At least one person was arrested, with protesters leaving the scene shortly before 3pm.
Images show traffic was temporarily blocked on Sauchiehall Street as police attended the scene.
In an update at 2.30pm, police said a 63-year-old woman had been arrested, while officers remained on the scene.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.55pm on Tuesday, 24 June, 2025, we received a report of a disturbance involving a large group on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.
“One woman, aged 63, has been arrested in connection.
“Officers remain at the scene and are engaging with those present.”
Shortly after this statement, the activists who occupied the building agreed to leave. They left the premises one at a time, handing their details to the police as they went.
Officers told The National that a criminal investigation was underway linked to licencing laws.
Mahdi, who had been involved in the sit-in, said it had been “an old peaceful protest tactic just to express our demands”.
“In response, the police were called even though nobody had asked us to leave,” he said.
Mahdi further told The National that whether the protest had been a success would be known with time.
“It depends whether the CCA board is going to go back on the decision and follow the democratic will of the CCA workers and of audiences,” he said.
“If they do, today will have been a success. If not, we're going to continue fighting and we're going to impose the democratic will of the CCA community, its workers, its audiences, and its art workers.”
CCA has been contacted for comment.
