Arrests made after protesters hang off Forth Road Bridge to halt gas tanker in major demo

Scottish Sun

a day ago

ACTIVISTS NICKED Arrests made after protesters hang off Forth Road Bridge to halt gas tanker in major demo
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
TEN arrests have been made following a Greenpeace demonstration on the Forth Road Bridge.
Activists shut down the bridge in South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, yesterday afternoon - hours before Donald Trump touched down in Scotland.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Greenpeace has said its activists have been arrested after a major demo
Credit: Andrew Barr
4
The group suspended themselves from the bridge using ropes
Credit: Andrew Barr
Greenpeace activists suspended themselves from the bridge in order to block a tanker carrying fracked gas, which was headed for the INEOS petrochemical plant at nearby Grangemouth.
Emergency crews raced to the scene after the alarm was raised at around 1.05pm as cops received reports of a protest starting to build.
That was after the group suspended themselves from the bridge using ropes, ending up about 25 metres above the water level at high tide.
Police have now confirmed that 10 people have been nicked.
Five men, aged between 35 and 40, and five women, aged between 25 and 42, were arrested in connection.
The bridge is currently still closed.
Climate campaigners from Greenpeace confirmed that 10 activists abseiled from the huge 156m bridge to block an INEOS tanker.
It spent 10 days travelling across the Atlantic to deliver a cargo of 27,000 cubic meters of fracked American gas to the petrochemical facility in Grangemouth.
And it happened the day that President Donald Trump touched down in Scotland for his four-day visit.
The US President, 79, arrived aboard Air Force One at around 8.30pm last night.
BBC Comedian Susan Riddell Charged After Defence Factory Incident in Edinburgh
Greenpeace have said the protest is aimed at INEOS, which is the UK's biggest plastics manufacturer.
Protesters unfurled six large red sky banners which read: "Plastics Treaty Now".
They were also being supported by a rescue crew on the bridge and a boat team in the river below.
This morning, Greenpeace announced it had ended the demonstration, saying they had "achieved what we set out to".
The campaign group said its demonstration had prevented the Ineos tanker from delivering the gas for a full 24 hours, saying that the vessel could only travel to Grangemouth during high tides.
As a result the specially trained activists began climbing down their ropes early on today.
4
Greenpeace have said the protest is aimed at INEOS, which is the UK's biggest plastics manufacturer
Credit: Andrew Barr
4
Protesters unfurled six large red sky banners which read: "Plastics Treaty Now"
Credit: © Luca Marino / Greenpeace
Greenpeace said all 10 had descended safely and were voluntarily transported to Port Edgar in South Queensferry, where it said they were arrested by officers from Police Scotland on suspicion of culpable and reckless conduct.
Amy Cameron, programme director at Greenpeace UK said: "We've achieved what we set out to.
"By blocking Ineos, we've drawn global attention to the company's bottomless appetite for plastic production, false solutions and profit for its billionaire boss Jim Ratcliffe."
In response yesterday, a statement from INEOS said: "Today's Greenpeace stunt is dangerous, disruptive, and entirely counterproductive.
"It may grab headlines, but it does absolutely nothing to reduce plastic pollution or deliver real-world solutions."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Ten people have been arrested following a protest on the Forth Road Bridge on Friday, 25 July, 2025.
"The protest was reported to police around 1.05pm.
"Five men, aged between 35 and 40, and five women, aged between 25 and 42, were arrested in connection and further enquiries are ongoing.
"The bridge remains closed at this time."