Latest news with #SafeAccessZonesAct
The National
5 days ago
- The National
Woman arrested under abortion buffer zone law faces no further action
Rose Docherty, 75, was arrested after police were called to reports of an anti-abortion protest in Hardgate Road in Glasgow, near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), in February. She had been holding a sign that read: 'Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.' The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it has now decided no further action should be taken at this time. READ MORE: Italian Oasis fan dies hours before band played at Murrayfield A COPFS spokesperson said: 'The procurator fiscal received a report relating to a 75-year-old female and an incident said to have occurred on February 19, 2025. 'Professional prosecutors from COPFS considered the report. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence. 'After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, it was decided that there should be no further action taken at this time. 'The Crown reserves the right to take proceedings in relation to this incident in the future.' The Safe Access Zones Act was overwhelmingly passed by MSPs last year and came into force in September. The legislation prevents anti-abortion protesters from gathering within 200 metres of clinics where terminations are carried out. Before the law change, hospitals such as the QEUH in Glasgow had become a frequent target of anti-abortion protesters in recent years.
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Woman arrested under abortion buffer zones law learns fate
Rose Docherty, 75, was arrested after police were called to reports of an anti-abortion protest in Hardgate Road in Glasgow, near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), in February. She was holding a sign that read: 'Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.' READ NEXT: Newlywed couple go viral after posing for sweet snaps on ScotRail train (Image: Image: Newsquest) The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it has decided to take no further action at this time. A COPFS spokesperson said: 'The procurator fiscal received a report relating to a 75-year-old female and an incident said to have occurred on February 19, 2025. 'Professional prosecutors from COPFS considered the report. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence. 'After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, it was decided that there should be no further action taken at this time. 'The Crown reserves the right to take proceedings in relation to this incident in the future.' Ms Docherty, who was supported by the legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom International, welcomed the news. She said: 'This is a victory not just for me, but for everyone in Scotland who believes we should be free to hold a peaceful conversation. 'I stood with love and compassion, ready to listen to anyone who wanted to talk. Criminalising kindness has no place in a free society.' READ NEXT: Police called as devastated family's dog dies during heatwave The Safe Access Zones Act was overwhelmingly passed by MSPs last year and came into force in September. The legislation prevents anti-abortion protesters from gathering within 200 metres of clinics where terminations are carried out. Before the law change, hospitals such as the QEUH in Glasgow had become a frequent target of anti-abortion protesters in recent years.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
No further action for Glasgow woman arrested under buffer law
She had been holding a sign that read: 'Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.' The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it has now decided no further action should be taken at this time. Read More: A COPFS spokesperson said: 'The procurator fiscal received a report relating to a 75-year-old female and an incident said to have occurred on February 19, 2025. 'Professional prosecutors from COPFS considered the report. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence. 'After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, it was decided that there should be no further action taken at this time. 'The Crown reserves the right to take proceedings in relation to this incident in the future.' Ms Docherty, who was supported by the legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom International, welcomed the news. She said: 'This is a victory not just for me, but for everyone in Scotland who believes we should be free to hold a peaceful conversation. 'I stood with love and compassion, ready to listen to anyone who wanted to talk. Criminalising kindness has no place in a free society.' The Safe Access Zones Act was overwhelmingly passed by MSPs last year and came into force in September. The legislation prevents anti-abortion protesters from gathering within 200 metres of clinics where terminations are carried out. Before the law change, hospitals such as the QEUH in Glasgow had become a frequent target of anti-abortion protesters in recent years.
Scotsman
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Ross Greer pledges to 'take on the super rich' as he launches Scottish Green leadership bid
Sign up to our Politics newsletter 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... Ross Greer pledged to "take on the super rich" as he launched his bid to become the new co-leader of the Scottish Greens. Mr Greer, who was elected as an MSP at the age of 21 in 2016, said he would fight to fix a system "rigged" by the wealthiest. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He also advocated universal free bus travel in Scotland - a move he admitted would initially cost a "substantial" sum. Ross Greer | PA Mr Greer has long been seen as a potential successor to Patrick Harvie, who announced he was standing down as the Greens' co-leader earlier this year. Under the party's rules, co-leaders serve two-year terms and one of them has to be a woman. Lorna Slater, the current co-leader with Mr Harvie, has said she will run again. She is being challenged by Gillian Mackay, the MSP for the Central Scotland region. Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay introduced the Safe Access Zones Act. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire Mr Greer, who was raised in Bearsden, was one of the architects of the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and the Greens, which collapsed in April last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said he would be "absolutely willing" to work with John Swinney's SNP after the Holyrood election next year, "if we are going to deliver policies that make Scotland a greener and a fairer place". Greer defends record At a leadership launch event in Glasgow, the 31-year-old defended his track record following criticism from those within the Greens who are pushing for a more radical approach. "The only person in the history of devolution who has done more to redistribute wealth and tax the super rich than me is Patrick Harvie, and it's me and Patrick that this particular grouping seem to be criticising," Mr Greer said. The West Scotland MSP said his party needed to "take on the super rich", adding: "It is the extremely wealthy who need to pay for the kind of transformation that we need in our society." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Asked what this might mean in practice, he said: "One of the first examples is simply ending the tax breaks that the super rich already have under devolution. There are Tory MSPs in Parliament who are some of Scotland's biggest landowners and who get tax breaks for their shooting estates - tax breaks that are designed for small businesses." Mr Greer said Scotland's income tax system "is already by far the most progressive in the UK because of the Scottish Greens", adding: "This year alone we're raising about £1.7 billion more than we otherwise would if it wasn't for the income tax changes secured first by Patrick Harvie and then by myself as the Scottish Greens' finance spokespeople. "There is a little bit more progress that we could make on income tax - there's always a bit more that you could raise. You can always make the system a little bit more progressive. "But what we really need to do now in Scotland is pivot towards taxing the wealth of the extremely wealthy, particularly in relation to property. Some of the richest people in this country pay very little income tax because that's not how they arrange their finances. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "That's why we need to look at wealth taxation in particular, and also emissions-related taxes. We need to tax big polluters." Free bus travel for all Mr Greer said half of Scotland's population can already travel on the bus for free, at a cost to the public purse of about £400 million a year. "So if you were to make it universal for everybody, immediately, day one, that would be another £400m,' he said. "In practice it's not going to cost that, though, because part of the costs of that scheme are obviously administering it to check - are you under 22? Are you over 60? Are you disabled? "If we make it universal, we take the admin costs out of the process. But it's also something that we would be phasing in over a couple of years.'
The National
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
The dangers of imported American culture wars
The US anti-abortion movement is more emboldened than it has been in years, largely due to Trump removing nearly all protections for abortion providers. He has instructed federal prosecutors to limit enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (Face), which was introduced in response to violence against abortion clinics and staff, including the murder of doctors. In January, Trump also chose to pardon 23 anti-abortion activists who had been jailed for invading and blockading abortion clinics under the Face Act. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar urged to whip Scottish Labour MPs against welfare cuts The chilling events of the weekend should give us pause for thought here in Scotland. The hard-won Safe Access Zones Act, which keeps anti-abortion protesters 200 metres away from hospitals providing abortion services, came about in direct response to the importation of US-style clinic protests. Although many of the protesters were locals, they were recruited and organised by Texan anti-abortion organisation 40 Days for Life. I first witnessed the protests while living near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, and the unmistakably US overtones – the signs, the fanaticism – made my blood run cold. Abortion rights in Scotland are under attack with the help of US dollars. When anti-abortion activist Rose Docherty flouted the new buffer zone legislation, she was swiftly lionised by the Alliance Defending Freedom – an American legal advocacy group categorised as an extremist homophobic hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre. She was framed as a persecuted victim of state overreach, rather than someone deliberately undermining public health protections. An even more disturbing example came when JD Vance grossly misrepresented Scotland's buffer zone laws, which led to a surge in abuse directed at MSP Gillian Mackay. Mackay, who spearheaded the buffer zones bill, was called a 'baby killer', received emails suggesting her abusers knew her home address, and was even sent rape threats – all while she was pregnant. The recent events in America are existentially terrifying, threatening our sense of freedom, peace, and democracy. It would be a grave mistake to assume that such extremism cannot reach our shores. It already has. Attempts to undermine our laws and the will of our parliament are not theoretical – they are happening right now. Yet, watching so many Americans take to the streets in defence of the freedoms they cherish gives me hope. I have faith in them – and I have faith in us.
