12 held in Scottish climate protests

A day of mass action by climate protesters led to 12 arrests and caused disruption in Scotland’s capital yesterday.

An estimated 500 activists set up a Camp for Climate Action behind the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) headquarters in Edinburgh six days ago to protest against its funding of fossil fuel companies which they say are destroying the planet.

RBS had advised many of its staff to work from home yesterday. The bank is almost wholly owned by the Government, which has an 84 per cent stake.

Yesterday’s action saw activists bring traffic to a halt after they created an “oil slick” on two of the main routes into the city. Lothian and Borders Police said a substance similar to diesel or vegetable oil was poured onto the carriageways on the Edinburgh city bypass – the A720 at Bankhead – and the westbound A8.

Their actions were criticised by police and politicians.

Margaret Smith, Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh West, accused protesters of “recklessly endangering people’s lives”.

She said: “This is absolutely unacceptable and the police are right to take action to protect innocent people going about their daily lives.”

Fellow Lib Dem, Edinburgh West MP Mike Crockart, said: “The irresponsible behaviour seen on public roads could have caused serious injury or worse, and all reasonable people will join me in condemning these actions.”

A police spokesman said: “This is an extremely reckless and dangerous act which could put many members of the public at risk.”

Police arrested 12 people at a series of locations across the city.

A Climate Camp spokesman said demonstrators twice shut down the RBS branch on Nicolson Street by chaining themselves to the building and also supergluing themselves together to block the entrance.

A piggy bank daubed with the RBS logo was used to dispense molasses to create an “oil slick” outside the offices of Cairn Energy in the city centre.

Protesters also sprayed “oil” on the outside of the building with fire extinguishers.

A Climate Camp spokesman said they targeted the energy company because it used public money from RBS to start drilling for oil off the coast of Greenland last month.

Forth Energy was also targeted, with five activists claiming to have chained themselves to office furniture at the firm’s Leith office while two scaled the roof of the building and unfurled banners.

The activists said they oppose Forth Energy because of their plans to build four biomass – wood-burning – energy power stations in Scotland. Seven protesters superglued themselves to the RBS executive car park near the Gyle Shopping Centre. A Clydesdale Bank branch in Lothian Road was also spraypainted by activists.

On Sunday more than 100 demonstrators dressed in white biohazard suits breached police lines at RBS’s Gogarburn HQ.