THREE Extinction Rebellion protesters have attempted to lock-on to the Scottish Parliament building, with messages related to the proposed new gas power station in Peterhead.
Two were successful, one was prevented by police at Holyrood, and it is understood keys to the locks were sent to three MSPs; First Minister John Sweeney, Gillian Martin, and Alasdair Allan.
XR Scotland believes that these three MSPs have the responsibility of deciding on the new gas power station in Peterhead proposed by fossil fuel company SSE and Norwegian state-owned Equinor, who claim the facility will utilise carbon capture and storage technology.
Police confirmed two of the protesters have been charged and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
It comes after Friends of the Earth (FoE) said that emissions from the Peterhead 2 facility, which would be built alongside the existing power station, could be five times higher than the site’s developers SSE and Equinor have disclosed in planning documents.
Research commissioned by the group reveals that there were “serious omissions and shortcomings in the developer’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, resulting in a severe underestimation of the project’s climate impact”.
The protest took place before First Minister's Questions.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 11.40am on Thursday November 7 2024, we were made aware of a group of protesters on Horse Wynd, Edinburgh.
“Officers attended and two women aged 46 and 69 have been arrested and charged in connection.
“They have been released on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.”
John Hardy, 41, community organiser speaking for XR Scotland, said: "Our protest at the Scottish Parliament is about calling for meaningful action against the climate crisis. CCS is not the solution its made out to be; it is a lifeline for oil and gas companies who wish to continue extracting fossil fuels while cloaking themselves in the illusion of environmental responsibility.
"We cannot allow our future to be dictated by 'magical' technological fixes that merely prolong the fossil fuel era and distract from the urgent need for a rapid and just transition to renewable energy. We demand real solutions, not empty promises. Our lives depend on it."
In 2021, Extinction Rebellion Scotland took action at the current Peterhead gas power station by blockading the entrance to the facility locked-on to a green washing machine and with a green washing line, in protest of SSE's sponsorship of COP26.
Gary Jack, 62, chartered surveyor and crofter, speaking for XR Scotland, said: "If saving the planet is not a good reason for rejecting the application, economic logic certainly is. Tying Scotland to a further 25 years plus of imported gas gives us no energy security and open to further inflated international gas prices.
"Scotland already produces vast amounts of renewable electricity and will be doubling or trebling that over the next decade. So why would you invest in imported gas infrastructure?"
