AN activist is angry that he has been charged with a race crime for displaying a banner reading ‘England Get Out of Scotland’ to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Serial protester Sean Clerkin led a small number of activists from the grassroots Action for Scotland group who staged the protest at Edinburgh Airport in August and campaigned to close borders in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The group claimed that “irresponsible” English tourists are putting the country's attempts to contain Covid-19 in Scotland at risk and carried out demonstrations around Scotland.
The charge came after Edinburgh Airport hit out at the activists who staged a protest on its grounds demanding English tourists do not travel to Scotland because of the rise of cases south of the border – branding their actions as ‘despicable’.
A post on Edinburgh Airport's Twitter page read: "The protest at the airport was a despicable act. This group knows that their brand of hatred would not be tolerated by right-thinking people and chose to sneak in and perpetrate it far from the terminal.
Veteran independence activist Dave Llewellyn (left) who was a key figure in a controversial Scotland-England border protest last summer frowned on by Nicola Sturgeon has insisted it was not an anti-English move. Mr Clerkin (right) also took part.
"They do not represent the Scotland we live and work in or the Scotland that is recognised for its friendliness and tolerance across the globe. We condemn them unreservedly and will not accept it. We have contacted Police Scotland and asked them to pursue this matter urgently."
But nationalist agitator Mr Clerkin has hit out at the "absolutely ludicrous" decision to charge him saying it was a "malicious prosecution", that he had the right to protest under the European Convention on Human Rights and that the protest had "obviously" nothing to do with being anti-English.
READ MORE: Veteran independence activist says 'our Scottish border protest was not anti-English'
"They are out to get me. I am not racist, my in-laws are English and this was clearly not anti-English," he said.
He was arrested and taken from his home in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, to Helen Street Police Station in Glasgow to be interviewed after the incident but thought that charged would be dropped.
Now it has emerged he has been accused of behaving in a "threatening or abusive manner, which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, in that you did attend and display a banner with offensive and racial remarks, contrary to Section 38/1 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Scotland Act 2010".
It was further alleged that the offence was "racially aggravated".
He intends to plead not guilty and is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on June 2.
Action for Scotland had demanded the Scottish Government closes borders and transport hubs linking England and Scotland in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Clerkin said at the time: “We are doing today’s protest to continue our call to the Scottish Government to close the border and all ports of entry for non essential travel from England to Scotland to protect the people Of Scotland from Covid-19.”
Of the charge, Mr Clerkin who was originally arrested in September told police: "It is not against the law to have a banner that someone may disagree with. The first time the banner was displayed was in Edinburgh and a complaint was made to a senior police officer who stated to me that the banner was not offensive and I could continu to display it. That was at the SNP Spring conference in 2019. It said the word 'England'. It did not stipulate any hate towards the race."
He said of the charge: "It just isn't hatred to any race."
Source: SWNS
Police were alerted when the same banner was previously displayed at Glasgow Central as an objetion to the Scottish border remaining open after coronavirus cases increased in the north of England.
The same activists previously targeted the border at Berwick, where motorists were shocked to see people wearing Saltire face masks demanding the border was closed.
The protesters said they are not motivated by racism or xenophobia but believe closed borders could eliminate the virus in Scotland by the end of August.
Before the Berwick protest, Nicola Sturgeon insisted there isn't an "anti-English bone in her body" after concerns about the border protests.
The First Minister reminded the public she comes from "English stock" - her granny - when questioned about anti-English rhetoric affecting Scottish businesses and tourism.
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