Three members of Extinction Rebellion have climbed onto the Scottish Parliament building to protest against the use of fossil fuels.
The environmental activists draped a banner reading “Choose Oil or Choose Life” from an overhang above the public entrance to Holyrood.
One of the climbers called on the Scottish Government to transition away from the "destructive and dying industry" of fossil fuels.
The activists say they plan to stay in place until First Minister’s Questions ends on Thursday afternoon.
In a statement released by the protest group, one of the climbers, Myke Hall, 33, from Leith, said: “If the Scottish Government really wants to be world leaders on the climate emergency they need to stop pretending that big fossil fuel companies are part of the solution.
“These corporations have known about ecological breakdown for decades and have only drilled deeper.
“They serve the bank accounts of billionaire shareholders, not the workers, not the people of Scotland, and certainly not those suffering today in the areas most affected.”
The protest is part of a series of activities planned by the group in October.
Another climber, Meg Peyton Jones, from Edinburgh, said in the statement: “Scotland is financially and politically tied to a destructive and dying industry: this does not have to be the case, and we call on the Government for a just transition away from oil, led by the workers rather than corporations.”
The entrance to Holyrood has been closed to the public for some time due to the Covid-19 pandemic and access to the building is currently through other routes.
A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “This is a Police Scotland matter. The Parliament’s police unit are in attendance.”
Police Scotland Superintendent Simon Jeacocke said: “We can confirm that protest activity is currently taking place at the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh and officers are in attendance to maintain public safety and minimise disruption.”
Additional reporting by PA Media.
