Climate change protesters staged a huge protest outside the Scottish Parliament as they sprayed the building with red paint over plans to “max out” oil and gas in the North Sea.
Campaigners from pressure group This Is Rigged carried out the surprise demonstration after Rishi Sunak revealed he will grant hundreds of new licences for fossil fuel firms.
Four eco activists used the paint to create red handprints inside the public entrance to Holyrood as they wrote “blood on your hands”.
A huge police presence descended on Holyrood as they barricaded the scene while protesters appeared to glue their hands to the ground.
Hours later they were eventually dispersed after forcing parliament to cancel public tours and close due to the disruption.
During a visit to Scotland, the prime minister insisted the UK will still need to rely on the oil and gas industry for decades to come.
The Tory leader said he wants to “max out” developments in the North Sea – but was accused of acting like Donald Trump.
But environmentalists have repeatedly warned Britain must stop drilling projects and speed up the move to renewables due to the climate crisis.
This Is Rigged activists accused the Scottish Government of “deafening silence” over the crisis as they posted a video of their spray paint protest online.
They wrote: “Scottish Government’s silence on new oil and gas is deafening.
“They must vocally oppose all new oil and gas, or they are complicit.”
BREAKING: THIS IS RIGGED SPRAY SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT RED🚨
The action follows Rishi Sunak’s announcement in favour of 100 new oil and gas licenses yesterday. @scotgov’s silence on new oil and gas is DEAFENING. They must vocally oppose ALL new oil and gas, or
they are complicit. pic.twitter.com/myUQUpeHdN— This Is Rigged (@Thisis_Rigged) August 1, 2023
The SNP has backed a shift away from oil and gas and has come out against new oil and gas projects – such as Rosebank – in the North Sea.
But climate change campaigners have argued the nationalists must go further in their opposition to extraction.
On Monday, First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “For PM to effectively signal unlimited oil and gas extraction is a further demonstration that they’re not serious about tackling the climate emergency.
“To announce unlimited extraction of oil and gas shows the PM is willing to recklessly gamble the future of our planet.”
Earlier this year demonstrators regularly tried to bring Holyrood to a standstill during First Minister’s Questions.
In Humza Yousaf’s first week as SNP leader, This Is Rigged protesters continually heckled Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross.
In April, activists stood on tables and staged a sitdown protest outside the chamber while energy policy was being debated.
Following today’s stunt, a parliament spokesperson 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.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of protestors at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh shortly after 1.40pm on Tuesday, 1 August.
“Officers are in attendance.”