5 days ago
Man 'banned' from Glasgow city centre after Palestine protest
Sean Clerkin, 64, was arrested and has been charged under the Terrorism Act, after he displayed a placard stating "Genocide in Palestine, Time to Take Action".
The protester was taken to a police station and held for around three hours.
Speaking to our sister paper,the Glasgow Times after he was released, he said he had to sign a "draconian" undertaking.
READ MORE: Activist slams 'draconian' law as protester arrested at Palestine Action demo
He said: "I had to agree not to enter an exclusion zone which covers the city centre.
"I was charged under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act and given a date to appear in court.
'I am effectively banned from the city centre for the duration until the court date.
'If I go into the city centre, I will be jailed.'
He said he will comply with the undertaking.
He added: 'I will abide by it but I think it is draconian and we are on the way to a politicised police state.'
Clerkin was arrested in Nelson Mandela Place on Friday around noon after he displayed the sign.
(Image: GT)
The group Palestine Action was recently named a proscribed organisation in the UK.
Two men displayed the sign and were warned by police officers they were 'demonstrating support for a proscribed organisation'.
They were warned that the way the sign was written was deliberately intended to 'circumvent the law'.
When it was displayed again minutes later, as a third protester made a speech, two police officers moved in and made an arrest.
Clerkin was taken to a nearby police van amid shouts of 'let him go' from supporters.
The man stated repeatedly as he was taken to the police van: 'I am not a terrorist'.
The city centre protest on Friday was calling for 'an end to the proscription of [[Palestine]] Action and 'the end to genocide in Gaza And [[Palestine]].
Other protesters criticised the arrest.
Mick Napier of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: 'This is the theatre of the absurd. You can't say Palestine and genocide in the same sentence."
The incident follows Police Scotland charged a man under suspicion of terror offences for wearing a T-shirt allegedly showing support for the proscribed group [[Palestine]] Action.
It is understood that the 55-year-old activist was leafleting near the TRNSMT festival, in Glasgow, when police charged him.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "A 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an offence under the Terrorism Act for displaying a sign expressing support for a proscribed organisation.
"Officers were called to a protest at Nelson Mandela Place in Glasgow at around 9.50am on Friday, 18 July, 2025.
"The man is expected to appear in court at a later date."
