Edinburgh protest: Climate activists This is Rigged spray-paint the Scottish Parliament red

This is Rigged are demanding the Scottish Government ‘develop a backbone’ and oppose all new oil and gas licenses.

Climate activists have spray-painted the Scottish Parliament building red in protest over hundreds of new oil and gas licenses being signed off.

This Is Rigged posted video footage of the protest and a statement saying they are ‘f***ing furious' at the Scottish Government’s ‘deafening silence’.

It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced during a visit to Shell's St Fergus Gas Plant in Aberdeenshire that the UK Government intends to grant hundreds of new oil and gas licenses for the North Sea.

Activists hurl paint at Scottish Parliament

On Tuesday afternoon activists hurled paint at the front door of Holyrood building, which is closed for summer recess. The group have previously disrupted FMQs before security was heightened inside the building.

They are calling on the Scottish Government to vocally oppose all new oil and gas licenses.

In a statement the group said:

"We are fu**ing furious. In typical condescending fashion, Rishi Sunak has informed us that this (the flooding of massive swathes of Scotland; the total devastation of our land, waters and vulnerable communities; the collapse of our food systems) is “what’s best for the country”. While Sunak rolls in his £529 million fortune and jets up to Scotland in a private plane to give us all a heads up that he’s officially sold all of our futures down the line so the super wealthy can make a few extra bob, over a third of Scots are struggling to pay their energy bills. Mothers are resorting to starving themselves so they can feed their children. Food bank usage has increased by 80 per cent in the past five years.

"Sunak has picked his side: profit, greed and climate devastation. What we are asking now is for the Scottish Government to develop a backbone, to stand up to Westminster’s murderous new oil and gas projects. We wrote to Humza Yousaf on Friday to reiterate our demands, that the SG vocally oppose all new oil and gas licenses and ensure a fair and fully funded transition for all workers. The only license that has not gone ahead in recent years is Cambo, which is the only one the Scottish Government has opposed. This is now more urgent than ever.”

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