THE son of God has returned to Earth and personally intervened in a dispute between the Scottish Parliament and a group of pro-independence campers on Holyrood land, a court has been told.
The Court of Session was told that Jesus Christ had urged the campers, who arrived late last year and have vowed to stay put until Scotland breaks away from the UK, to fight legal efforts to evict them and persist with their "spiritual" vigil.
In a highly unusual hearing, camp representatives also attempted to call The Queen as a witness for an upcoming court date that will determine the fate of the small settlement, made up of caravans, tents and a trailer.
Lord Turnbull, the judge presiding over the case, was also accused of blasphemy by a representative of the campers who claimed he had ridiculed his belief in God.
Campaigner Richard McFarlane told the Court of Session that he had spoken to Jesus, who he claimed wants the Stone of Destiny to be taken to the camp where it could be used in a "coronation" for the saviour.
He said: "We have spoken to Jesus who is here for his second coming and he would like you to stop this if you can please. If it is in your power could you please leave the indycamp alone. We are having a spiritual vigil. We want to be free of debt and free of war. So if you can stop this, please do."
The claims were made in a procedural hearing, set up to update the court on camp efforts to find professional legal representation. The parliament's corporate body wants the camp removed, saying it compromises the political neutrality of its estate and prevents others from using the land.
Following an earlier hearing, Lord Turnbull said he wanted further evidence on how proportional it was to remove the settlement and urged the campers to find a lawyer after rejecting previous arguments based on the Declaration of Arbroath and the Act of Union.
Their efforts in obtaining representation have so far been unsuccessful, with Mr McFarlane claiming he had contacted 144 lawyers and firms, who all told him they were "too busy".
During proceedings, another camp representative, Arthur Gemmill, accused the judge of committing blasphemy, claiming he had mocked his belief in God at a previous court date.
Lord Turnbull rejected Mr Gemmill's claims, warning him that he was coming close to committing contempt of court, and he later said both he and Mr McFarlane "strayed" outside the bounds of the case and their conduct was "unacceptable.".
The campaigners asked for more time to try to find a lawyer, however, Lord Turnbull refused saying there was "no realistic prospect" of success. Rejecting the bid to cite the Queen as a witness on grounds of relevancy, he added: "many of these submissions are inadmissible."
The judge then fixed a full hearing to take place on June 29. It is expected to take two days.
He told the campers that they should address him solely on whether eviction would breach their human rights.
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