AN INDEPENDENCE campaigner has told a court how Jedi Knights have joined a legal battle to prevent the so-called “Indy camp” from being dismantled outside the Scottish Parliament.

Richard McFarlane told judges yesterday that the heroes of the Star Wars movies were currently present on Earth and helping them fight the “evil empire” of the UK and the European Union.

Mr McFarlane told Lady Dorrian, Lord Menzies and Lord Glennie that the characters believed the campers shouldn’t be evicted from their spot outside Holyrood.

Mr McFarlane – who is facing a £105,000 legal bill along with his fellow campaigners – was addressing the court in the latest hearing of a long-running court case involving the Indy campers and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body won the right to evict the nationalists from their permanent camp outside Holyrood in a judgment issued by Lord Turnbull in July 2016.

Lord Turnbull ruled it wouldn’t breach the human rights of campaigners for them to be moved on from the camp.

However, some of the campaigners believe it is the Judeo-Christian God’s will for the camp to exist.

Lady Dorrian refused campers leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. She said there were no valid reasons to allow their motion. However, they can still make a written application to the court.

After the judges left the bench, one campaigner, who was sitting in the public benches, shouted: “Traitors! Rats leaving the sinking ship.”

The campers said they would continue their fight.