SSP worker arrested in parliament over Saudi protestA SCOTTISH Socialist Party employee was arrested in the Scottish Parliament yesterday during a protest against Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to London.
Eddie Truman, a press officer with the SSP, was ushered from the chamber by police after a disturbance in the public gallery as Prince Turki al-Faisal took his seat in the VIP area.
The ambassador was also the target of a silent protest by MSPs from the Scottish Socialists in the main chamber.
Four SSP MSPs stood up holding printed cards that spelled out the slogan: "Despots not welcome here."
The four, Tommy Sheridan, Frances Curran, Carolyn Leckie and Rosemary Byrne, sat down after the Presiding Officer, George Reid, told them: "I will not have demonstrations in this parliament. Please sit."
Carolyn Leckie, the SSP MSP for Central Scotland region, had earlier failed in an attempt to suspend parliament’s standing orders to enable a debate to take place on the visit by the ambassador.
She described Saudi Arabia as "a totalitarian regime" which detained women for riding in taxis with unrelated men and appearing with their heads uncovered, and which beheaded people for adultery.
And she sought a debate "on whether we should welcome the representative of that regime" to the parliament.
The Scotsman
