Plea for peace as Holyrood campers lose court appeal against eviction

INDEPENDENCE campaigners camping on the grounds of the Scottish Parliament have lost a court appeal against their eviction.

The group set up camp with a collection of caravans and tents outside Holyrood in November 2015 and pledged to stay until Scotland gained independence, sparking a court battle as the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) sought to remove them.

Judge Lord Turnbull ruled in favour of the Parliament at the Court of Session in July and granted a petition to have the campers evicted.

The campaigners had argued that eviction would infringe their rights to freedom of expression and put forward several arguments against eviction.

They launched an appeal to the Inner House of the Court of Session, claiming Lord Turnbull had “erred” and that the original decision breached their rights.

Now, a written judgment by the Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, Lord Menzies and Lord Glennie has backed the earlier decision and allowed the Parliament “immediate extract” of the camp, meaning the SPCB can apply to the court for an order to remove it.

The appeal judgment read: “The evidence which was available to the Lord Ordinary was ample to entitle him to make the factual findings upon which his decision was based.

“It is clear from the terms of his opinion, the essence of which we have recited above, that he considered all the issues relevant to the issue of the proportionality of the order which he was being asked to make, and we can discern no error in law in his doing so.”

The SPCB said it will ask campers to leave the site of their own accord, but they could be forced out if necessary.

A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “We welcome the court’s ruling that the occupation of Parliament land in this way is unlawful and that the SPCB’s petition to have the camp removed is proportionate.

“We encourage the protesters to comply with the court’s ruling and leave the estate quickly and peacefully.” BALLET dancer Araminta Wraith is ready to cast a spell on audiences as she performs a movement from an upcoming show.

The Scottish Ballet soloist got in the mood for Hallowe’en by dressing in the glamorous witch costume from the respected company’s production of Hansel and Gretel.

Scottish Ballet will be taking the show on a UK tour in December, January and February, with performances being staged in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Newcastle and Belfast.

It features choreography by Scottish Ballet chief executive and artistic director Christopher Hampson and music by Engelbert Humperdinck.

One critic described the show based on the famous fairytale as “fizzing with mischief and magic” Picture: SWNS