Latest news with #Markus
Motor Trend
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Get In, Losers—China's Driving the Car-Biz Bus
I first traveled to China in 2000 as a tourist, and as luck would have it, my arrival hotel was across the street from the hall where doors were opening on the first media day of the Beijing Motor Show. Tempting as it was to try to talk my way in there with my business card, tourist visa, and old-school camera, I stuck to the tour-group itinerary—Great Wall, Forbidden City, and a Chinese opera (an ear-splitting agony I vowed never to endure again). But the fact that a hotel that close to an auto show was billeting tour groups speaks volumes to the turn-of-the-millennium state of the Chinese car biz. 0:00 / 0:00 See All 9 Photos Front-end photo comparison shows uncanny resemblance between China's Chery QQ3 and South Korea's Daewoo Matiz (aka Chevy Sprint). I embarked on that trip knowing next to nothing about the car scene in China. Japanese cars had spent a few decades morphing from junk to state-of-the-art in the U.S. market, and Korean-made ones were making that transition way faster. The Chinese-made vehicles our tour buses were dicing with on the roads seemed decades behind the Koreans, and it appeared the masses were mostly getting around on two wheels. In those days the joke was, 'R&D in China means receive and duplicate,' and indeed China's Chery QQ had just launched as a complete knockoff of the Daewoo Matiz. See All 9 Photos The Markus family visits the Forbidden City in 2000. That's Frank on the left, next to his mom. 25 Years' Worth of Massive Change The political climate then versus now certainly couldn't have been more different. The Chinese people we encountered back then seemed genuinely thankful for America's help in freeing them from Japan's ugly occupation of their country prior to and during WWII, for which they were darned grateful. (Buick's popularity as a brand in China partly stems from imagery of our army generals riding around in them.) Today, the average person on the street is confused by (and pretty pissed off about) our tariff policy, as it stands to make their lives difficult, too. See All 9 Photos The Markus family tours the Great Wall in 2000. Now as then, I'm neither a political nor a business reporter, so I don't keep religious tabs on every nuance of international trade, but I've been aware of the disadvantageous (to the U.S.) and one-sided automotive tech transfer that's occurred with China over the past quarter century. China enjoys a planned economy, and the automotive plan around the time of my 2000 visit was this: Foreign automakers that desire access to our billions of buyers must build cars here in a 50/50 joint venture with a Chinese automaker that is granted access to all your technology and intellectual property. Basically, 'to sell cars here, you must show us how you design and build them.' Had America had a central planning commission, we might have nixed that plan, but the GMs and Fords of the world couldn't resist the access to China's burgeoning market. Even outside of these arrangements, it seems fair to say that international patent law enforcement has been a little lax, to put it mildly. And, of course, one-party rule prevents China's grand plan from drastically changing every few years. See All 9 Photos Man moves his car from blocking tour bus in 2000. By everything I was able to determine during this most recent visit, the Chinese were quick studies and have zoomed past us in the car development game. The present and future is software-defined vehicles, and China is long-suited in the software, firmware, and hardware engineering talent needed to develop them—with many engineers having been schooled in the U.S.A. Can you name an American or European automaker that has designed and developed its own silicon chip capable of outperforming Nvidia's offerings while using less power? I can't, but I came across two Chinese automakers on the floor at Auto Shanghai 2025 (Nio and Xpeng) that have, and I may have missed others. See All 9 Photos Bikes seemed to outnumber cars in 2000. Now, most of the bikes you see are ride-share rentals. A stereotype/misimpression many Americans have of the Chinese is that they are less creative and individualistic, but individualism is now revered here, which is why the roadways are jammed with so many bright, pastel, and otherwise vibrantly colored cars. Well, that and the fact that people generally order their cars, because delivery often takes just a few weeks. And car styling in China has advanced rapidly in recent years, if the Shanghai show floor is any indication. See All 9 Photos The Porsche Taycan influenced the design of many Chinese cars including the Xiaomi SU7. Sure, there's still plenty of copycatting. China has fallen hard for the look of the Porsche Taycan and Panamera, because most automakers offer a reasonable facsimile of those designs, in both their fastback and turismo/wagon guises. (I was told the actual Taycan itself has fallen out of favor, as folks view its electrical architecture as outdated.) The Ora Ballet Cat is a pure VW Beetle knockoff (upsized and given four doors), and many would-be rivals to the global bestselling Tesla Model Y bear more than a passing resemblance to that ubiquitous original. See All 9 Photos To keep the proportions looking right, the four-door Ora Ballet Cat is way bigger than any VW Beetle, New or vintage. Government Planning Advantages Come with Less (and More) Cost The European Union devoted quite a bit of time and energy to studying the Chinese auto industry and the degree to which the government subsidizes it, to determine a reasonable and commensurate tariff to levy. I'm not at all sure how they managed that task, arriving at 35 percent on top of an existing 10 percent tariff. How many dollars/Euros is it worth when the government bears all the capital expense of providing land and building a gigantic factory that it then leases back to the automaker? How do you put a tariff value on monetary policy that ensures export-friendly exchange rates? What's the worker wage subsidy of nobody having to pay for healthcare or social security insurance? Any cursory glance at the feature content versus price of some Chinese cars makes it difficult to imagine free labor screwing together the bill of materials for the price being asked, if all said parts had been made by companies that pay their employees reasonable wages and benefits and while returning shareholder value. Chinese streets seem to be filled by happy citizens enjoying consumerism about on par with our own. Shopping malls are filled with designer brands and dining out on amazing food is crazy cheap. Chinese citizens and residents don't dream of owning a home and the land under it, because the government essentially owns all the real estate. Most people rent, but folks who are able to buy an apartment, house, or building enter a 70-year lease on the land it sits on. This keeps the economy planners' options open, drastically reducing 'eminent domain' red tape. Of course, America's younger generations find themselves tempering their own homeownership dreams for entirely different reasons. See All 9 Photos Beijing was never as bad as Xian, and they're both much cleaner now, but the air quality is not up to North American standards. The pace at which stuff can happen in a planned economy is utterly mind-blowing. An auto factory's groundbreaking to Job One rolling off a line can take as little as two years. Giant apartment blocks go up in a heartbeat. Planned economies certainly are efficient. Of course, a pristine environment has yet to top the planners' priority list, so while air quality has improved since my 2000 visit (my lungs never ached this time), it's still way behind our own. I was aware of the curtailed speech freedom. China is like one big corporation, with everybody toeing the company line. Global leadership in autonomous driving has been part of 'The Plan' for quite some time, but a few days before my arrival there was a nasty wreck involving a vehicle navigating on its ADAS systems. As a result, the government announced new regulations on the development and marketing of autonomous driving technology. The feature content versus price of some Chinese cars makes it difficult to imagine free labor screwing together the bill of materials for the price being asked. Can the U.S. Get Back in Gear? So what were my big takeaways? America (like Europe) seems to have become a passenger on the automobility bus, which China is now driving. Our government (including presidents from both parties) has effectively barred Chinese EVs from our market. And although there has been some talk of turning the tables—making U.S. market access contingent upon 50/50 JVs with tech transfer—I sense it's way too late for that to help. In hindsight, we probably should have also offered every Chinese engineering graduate of a U.S. institution a sweetheart deal to stay here in the land of the free instead of hassling them with anti-immigrant visa and green-card hurdles, essentially forcing them to return home. This toothpaste is all out of the tube for good, I'm afraid, and our continuing lack of investment in education seems sure to force us ever farther toward the back of the line. Instead, our current leadership seems intent on trying to emulate Chinese planned-market efficiency by removing as much of the red tape as possible so the industry can blaze ahead unfettered. Can this really work, absent a China-level plan? Is there a political playbook that could pull us out of our auto-industry nosedive? What if these efforts simply leave us with a dirty environment and end up compromising free speech, while driving our best and brightest to emigrate? Maybe I'm just unable to see the big picture. Maybe the globe's biggest, most fractious democracy will somehow come together and grab the stick, pulling hard enough in the same direction to arrest our current nosedive and regain some altitude. Maybe today's efforts will fix America's auto industry (and others), restoring the classic American dream for our young people. Whatever ends up happening, hopefully it won't take another 25 years for us to figure out how we start driving the bus again.
Scotsman
16-05-2025
- Scotsman
Vape laws that could catch out holidaying Brits
Vaping rules abroad could catch you out this summer 🚭 Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter. Saving tips, deals and money hacks. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Many of us will be jetting away for a summer holiday very soon. If you use a vape, you will want to make sure you know the laws here and abroad. An expert has laid out all the rules you need to know. The sun has been shining and you might already be turning your mind towards your summer holiday. Whether you are jetting off to the Mediterranean or staying closer to home, hopefully the weather will remain as good as it has been. If you are planning on going abroad in the coming months and you use a vape, you will want to make sure you don't get caught out by changes in the law. New rules about the use of disposable devices are about to come into effect. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 71 per cent have sneakily inhaled nicotine where they shouldn't have | Shutterstock Vape expert Markus Lindblad from Haypp , reveals the ins and outs of vaping on holiday, plus the need to know rules about returning to the UK. Can I bring a vape back into the UK after holiday? Markus explains: 'If you're returning to the UK from a holiday abroad after the UK disposable vape ban on June 1, you can still bring your vape or e-cigarette back into the country with you. Using single-use vapes after the ban isn't going to become illegal, it's buying or selling vapes that's being restricted. 'Entering the UK with a disposable vape is only an offence if you intend to sell it on, so as long as it's for personal use then you're not breaking any laws.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Can you take your vape on a plane? The expert said: 'Travelling on a plane with a vape is permitted, but you could get into trouble when you land depending on the laws in force in your final destination. Just like smoking, vaping on a plane is illegal, so if you're unsure of the rules it might be best to leave your vape at home and find an alternative nicotine product for use on the journey. 'Nicotine pouches for example can be used discreetly on a plane, train, or even in a bar or restaurant, so could be a good alternative.' Can you pack a vape? Markus added: 'Vape devices and e-cigarettes should be packed in carry-on luggage only, with a maximum of 20 batteries. Refills and e-liquids must also be kept in hand luggage with a maximum bottle size of 100ml. 'Both of these items need to be packed in your hand luggage, not in your checked in baggage due to the lithium batteries inside the vape. Airport security can confiscate the items and you might be called back to open and check your luggage.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What are the vaping laws abroad? The expert explained: 'Each country has its own set of laws and regulations. Some countries have severe restrictions in place with serious penalties if broken including large fines or even imprisonment. 'Popular European destinations, such as Belgium and France have banned the sale of disposable vapes. Whereas in the US, vaping laws vary between states. San Francisco, for example, has banned the sale of all vaping products, and some states, such as California and New Jersey, have imposed flavour bans. 'Please be aware that regulations can change, and it's best to check the local law before traveling.'
The National
02-05-2025
- The National
Inside the fitness trend taking Scotland by storm
Markus Stitz launched Bikepacking Scotland in 2017, a website designed to empower and inspire cyclists to take on more interesting routes, in addition to the daily commute. He's the author of cycling guides Bikepacking Scotland, Great British Gravel Rides, and soon-to-be-released Gravel Rides Cairngorms and Perthshire (released May 8). Guidebooks on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and Argyll are also under way. Markus grew up in Germany and has called Edinburgh home since 2009. He has completed many of Scotland's toughest cycle routes, including the Highland Trail, an off-road, self-supported mountain bike route that covers 550 miles and 16000 metres of ascent. From 2015-16 he cycled around the world on a single-speed bike. That's 34,097 kilometres, through 26 countries with no gears. Despite his global travels, to Markus, there's nowhere quite like Scotland. 'Scotland is a perfect country for cycling,' he says. 'Our access rights are amazing. They're similar to Scandinavian countries, which are upheld as the best countries for outdoor activities. We've beautiful nature and no extreme frost or heat waves. We have all the top ingredients for being a really good place to cycle,' says Markus. There are still gaps in the infrastructure he acknowledges, but he prefers to focus on the positives and the gains that have been made for safe cycling in the past few decades. Getting more people out and enjoying being on a bike is his main aim. 'I think the biggest problem we have at the moment in Scotland, but in other countries as well, is people are just not doing enough physical exercise,' he says. (Image: Bikepacking Scotland) 'Essentially, we need to get more people on bikes. There will be a net positive, because people will be healthier, and happier as well. E-bikes are great, because they encourage people to try cycling and make it more inclusive. Cycling is not about the distance, how much climbing you do or how difficult the terrain is. It's about time well spent,' Markus says,'either with people having nice conversations or time by yourself for a little bit of headspace.' Focussing on social cycling, last year Markus started the Edinburgh Dawn Patrol. This free twice-weekly cycle starts at 5.40am for a 30km lap of Edinburgh then a coffee stop, all before many of us are awake. If you'd like to try bike-packing, Markus recommends starting with a shorter trip and having a backup plan, like knowing where the train stations are. 'Three or four days is a good introduction; the first few days will be a learning experience. It's important to give yourself time to acclimatise and get into the flow.' Camping is not compulsory. He says: 'That's a misconception with bike packing. Some people prefer hotels, B&Bs or hostels, it's totally personal. And you don't need top notch gear when you start out. Try things out, do a few trips to find out if you want to do more. It's the same with bikes. You don't need a super expensive bike to go bike packing. It can pretty much be any bike, as long as it's properly serviced with good tyres and working brakes.' If you're still unsure, he suggests: 'Try a micro adventure. Experiment with putting a bag on your bike and go out for the day. There are lots of regions in Scotland that get overlooked and are great for cycling. Scotland has very few people living in a big country. Another cool thing is exploring all the historic ways by bike, like progress and military routes. "In Germany those routes existed but they've all been paved over, with 83 million people in a small country, there's not much room for wild places. In Scotland they're all still here and you can go out and find them.' Tempted? Here are some routes to inspire plans for your next adventure. (Image: Bikepacking Scotland) Go East Lothian Trail This route can be explored as a loop, starting and finishing in North Berwick, or one way, from North Berwick to Dunbar. The route links quiet roads, gravel tracks and cycle paths and is suitable for gravel, mountain and e-mountain bikes. Along the route there are gorgeous beaches to stop at, including Seacliff, Tyninghame, Belhaven and Yellowcraig, and you're never far from cafes for the all-important cake stops. The trail along the River Tyne to Preston Mill and Phantassie doocot is particularly lovely. Regular trains run from Edinburgh to North Berwick and Dunbar and bike hire is possible in both towns. John Muir Way This is one of Scotland's Great Trails. It's a coast-to-coast route, linking John Muir's birthplace of Dunbar in East Lothian to Helensburgh on the west coast, passing through Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. At 134 miles it may seem daunting and to cycle the whole route four to five days are advised, but the plentiful transport links make this fine to tackle in segments. Try the section between Linlithgow to South Queensferry for a day trip, using the train to travel back to your start point. Capital Trail A challenging route for advanced cyclists designed by Markus Stitz, the Capital Trail includes 6000m of ascent over 153 miles. Using a mix of forestry tracks, quiet roads and single-track mountain bike trails, the route starts and finishes on Edinburgh's Portobello beach after a big loop across Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Borders. Designed to take between two and four days, there are plenty of B&Bs and hotels on the route, if you don't fancy camping. Castles, hills, lochs, forests . . . this trail has it all – if your legs are up to the challenge! (Image: Bikepacking Scotland) Wild About Argyll Trail Suitable for both gravel and mountain bikes, the Wild About Argyll Trail is an adventure on gravel tracks, forest roads, single trail, quiet roads and cycle paths. Covering 655 km (407 miles) the winding route begins and ends in Helensburgh and goes through Oban and over to the isle of Lismore, tracing the boundaries of Argyll. You can experience the beautiful Ardgartan Peninsula, the coastal roads of East Kintyre, the forests around Loch Awe and Glen Nant National Nature Reserve. Ride the whole route or choose sections that appeal – either way you'll be sure to experience Argyll in a new way. Cairngorms National Park Loop Over four (or more) days, take on a 165-mile loop of the Cairngorms National Park. Beginning and ending at Aviemore train station, the route goes via Blair Atholl, Braemar, and Tomintoul, through some of Scotland's most majestic scenery. The trail uses a mix of gravel trails, single tracks and quiet roads, including some sections of the Speyside Way. You can camp or stay in excellent youth hostels on route (with helpful drying rooms). There are bike hire and repair shops in Aviemore, Kingussie, Ballater and Boat of Garten. Make sure to include stops at some of the area's great cafes too. Hebridean Way One of Scotland's most iconic road cycles, The Hebridean Way starts on the Island of Vatersay at the southern tip of the Hebridean archipelago and ends 185 miles north at the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. After your ferry to Barra from Oban, the route includes two more ferries and six causeways linking 10 islands, and four to six days are recommended for your adventure. It's a visually stunning route, meandering along white sandy beaches, turquoise sea and flowering machair (when the weather is in your favour!). To make life easier, Hebridean Hopscotch Holidays and Skinny Tyres offer Hebridean Way holiday cycling packages, which include your accommodation, ferries, bike-hire and luggage transfer.
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Why bikepacking is the fitness trend taking Scotland by storm
Markus grew up in Germany and has called Edinburgh home since 2009. He has completed many of Scotland's toughest cycle routes, including the Highland Trail, an off-road, self-supported mountain bike route that covers 550 miles and 16000 metres of ascent. From 2015-16 he cycled around the world on a single-speed bike. That's 34,097 kilometres, through 26 countries with no gears. Despite his global travels, to Markus, there's nowhere quite like Scotland. 'Scotland is a perfect country for cycling,' he says. 'Our access rights are amazing. They're similar to Scandinavian countries, which are upheld as the best countries for outdoor activities. We've beautiful nature and no extreme frost or heat waves. We have all the top ingredients for being a really good place to cycle,' says Markus. There are still gaps in the infrastructure he acknowledges, but he prefers to focus on the positives and the gains that have been made for safe cycling in the past few decades. Getting more people out and enjoying being on a bike is his main aim. 'I think the biggest problem we have at the moment in Scotland, but in other countries as well, is people are just not doing enough physical exercise,' he says. (Image: Bikepacking Scotland) 'Essentially, we need to get more people on bikes. There will be a net positive, because people will be healthier, and happier as well. E-bikes are great, because they encourage people to try cycling and make it more inclusive. Cycling is not about the distance, how much climbing you do or how difficult the terrain is. It's about time well spent,' Markus says,'either with people having nice conversations or time by yourself for a little bit of headspace.' Focussing on social cycling, last year Markus started the Edinburgh Dawn Patrol. This free twice-weekly cycle starts at 5.40am for a 30km lap of Edinburgh then a coffee stop, all before many of us are awake. If you'd like to try bike-packing, Markus recommends starting with a shorter trip and having a backup plan, like knowing where the train stations are. 'Three or four days is a good introduction; the first few days will be a learning experience. It's important to give yourself time to acclimatise and get into the flow.' Camping is not compulsory. He says: 'That's a misconception with bike packing. Some people prefer hotels, B&Bs or hostels, it's totally personal. And you don't need top notch gear when you start out. Try things out, do a few trips to find out if you want to do more. It's the same with bikes. You don't need a super expensive bike to go bike packing. It can pretty much be any bike, as long as it's properly serviced with good tyres and working brakes.' If you're still unsure, he suggests: 'Try a micro adventure. Experiment with putting a bag on your bike and go out for the day. There are lots of regions in Scotland that get overlooked and are great for cycling. Scotland has very few people living in a big country. Another cool thing is exploring all the historic ways by bike, like progress and military routes. "In Germany those routes existed but they've all been paved over, with 83 million people in a small country, there's not much room for wild places. In Scotland they're all still here and you can go out and find them.' Tempted? Here are some routes to inspire plans for your next adventure. (Image: Bikepacking Scotland) Go East Lothian Trail This route can be explored as a loop, starting and finishing in North Berwick, or one way, from North Berwick to Dunbar. The route links quiet roads, gravel tracks and cycle paths and is suitable for gravel, mountain and e-mountain bikes. Along the route there are gorgeous beaches to stop at, including Seacliff, Tyninghame, Belhaven and Yellowcraig, and you're never far from cafes for the all-important cake stops. The trail along the River Tyne to Preston Mill and Phantassie doocot is particularly lovely. Regular trains run from Edinburgh to North Berwick and Dunbar and bike hire is possible in both towns. John Muir Way This is one of Scotland's Great Trails. It's a coast-to-coast route, linking John Muir's birthplace of Dunbar in East Lothian to Helensburgh on the west coast, passing through Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. At 134 miles it may seem daunting and to cycle the whole route four to five days are advised, but the plentiful transport links make this fine to tackle in segments. Try the section between Linlithgow to South Queensferry for a day trip, using the train to travel back to your start point. Capital Trail A challenging route for advanced cyclists designed by Markus Stitz, the Capital Trail includes 6000m of ascent over 153 miles. Using a mix of forestry tracks, quiet roads and single-track mountain bike trails, the route starts and finishes on Edinburgh's Portobello beach after a big loop across Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Borders. Designed to take between two and four days, there are plenty of B&Bs and hotels on the route, if you don't fancy camping. Castles, hills, lochs, forests . . . this trail has it all – if your legs are up to the challenge! (Image: Bikepacking Scotland) Wild About Argyll Trail Suitable for both gravel and mountain bikes, the Wild About Argyll Trail is an adventure on gravel tracks, forest roads, single trail, quiet roads and cycle paths. Covering 655 km (407 miles) the winding route begins and ends in Helensburgh and goes through Oban and over to the isle of Lismore, tracing the boundaries of Argyll. You can experience the beautiful Ardgartan Peninsula, the coastal roads of East Kintyre, the forests around Loch Awe and Glen Nant National Nature Reserve. Ride the whole route or choose sections that appeal – either way you'll be sure to experience Argyll in a new way. Cairngorms National Park Loop Over four (or more) days, take on a 165-mile loop of the Cairngorms National Park. Beginning and ending at Aviemore train station, the route goes via Blair Atholl, Braemar, and Tomintoul, through some of Scotland's most majestic scenery. The trail uses a mix of gravel trails, single tracks and quiet roads, including some sections of the Speyside Way. You can camp or stay in excellent youth hostels on route (with helpful drying rooms). There are bike hire and repair shops in Aviemore, Kingussie, Ballater and Boat of Garten. Make sure to include stops at some of the area's great cafes too. Hebridean Way One of Scotland's most iconic road cycles, The Hebridean Way starts on the Island of Vatersay at the southern tip of the Hebridean archipelago and ends 185 miles north at the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. After your ferry to Barra from Oban, the route includes two more ferries and six causeways linking 10 islands, and four to six days are recommended for your adventure. It's a visually stunning route, meandering along white sandy beaches, turquoise sea and flowering machair (when the weather is in your favour!). To make life easier, Hebridean Hopscotch Holidays and Skinny Tyres offer Hebridean Way holiday cycling packages, which include your accommodation, ferries, bike-hire and luggage transfer.
Press and Journal
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Press and Journal
Two pro-Palestine protesters arrested at Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club
Two protesters have been arrested after a pro-Palestine demonstration at Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Centre. Demonstrators gathered outside the Granite City venue in protest against the participation of an Israeli player at the World Indoor Bowls Championship being held there yesterday. Many gathered at the venue at around 12pm before going inside with Palestine flags and placards to call for an end to Boaz Markus' involvement in the tournament, and for an end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The protest came to a head when one female protester was recorded entering the field of play while Markus prepared to take a shot while chanting and holding a Palestine flag. The action was met by annoyance from the tournament organiser, who acted quickly to remove them from the game. The video also showed a female being escorted out of the building. Another man, who also entered play, was also taken away by police officers. Protest group RedCardGlasgow, also claims that the competition was delayed for over two hours due to the demonstration. Police Scotland has since confirmed the two arrests. A spokesperson said: 'Officers are in attendance at a pre-planned demonstration on Summerhill Road in Aberdeen. 'Two people have been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.' The World Bowls organisation has faced repeated calls to withdraw its invitation to Markus due to the ongoing conflict. Action Network, a group which helps to organise 'progressive protests' urged the Scottish Government to intervene to stop the tournament. Meanwhile, Greens MSP Maggie Chapman for North East Scotland was also present at the protest. She said: 'The police response today has been totally disproportionate. Protest is not a crime, but genocide is and we all have a responsibility to stand against it.' World Bowls CEO, Neil Dalrymple, said: 'We respect the right for people to protest whilst we hope that they will respect the right for World Bowls to stage this competition without disruption inside the venue.'
