Sturgeon condemns 'decapitate TERFs' sign at pro-trans rights rally

Nicola Sturgeon condemns ‘decapitate TERFs’ placard seen near SNP politicians at Glasgow pro-trans rights rally – as First Minister calls on UK ministers to ‘have the guts’ to appear before Holyrood committee over Westminster’s block on her gender reforms

• Nicola Sturgeon condemns placards seen at a pro-trans rights rally in Glasgow
• Police have launched a probe after receiving a report about one of the signs
• SNP politicians were pictured near a ‘decapitate TERFs’ banner during the demo

Nicola Sturgeon today condemned placards seen at a pro-trans rights rally after SNP politicians were pictured near a ‘decapitate TERFs’ sign.

The SNP leader spoke out against banners on display at the Glasgow demonstration on Saturday, which came in the wake of Westminster’s block on her gender identity reforms.

Police have launched a probe after receiving a report about one of the signs at the rally on the city’s Buchanan Street, amid claims it represented a ‘hate crime’ and a ‘public order offence’.

Harry Potter author J.K.Rowling, who has clashed with Ms Sturgeon over the Scottish Parliament’s gender identity legislation, was among those to have raised concerns about the banners.

SNP MP Kirsten Oswald and Kaukab Stewart, one of the party’s MSPs, were spotted near to the ‘decapitate TERFs’ placard – which used the acronmym for ‘trans-exclusionary radical feminist’.

Ms Oswald has condemned the ‘horrific’ and ‘unacceptable’ sign and said it ‘wasn’t there when I joined the demo’.

And Ms Stewart has also said she was ‘not aware of these hateful signs’ when she attended the protest.

Ms Sturgeon today insisted it was not ‘credible’ to suggest that SNP politicians condoned the views expressed in offensive placards.

SNP MP Kirsten Oswald and Kaukab Stewart, one of the party’s MSPs, were among those spotted near to the ‘decapitate TERFs’ placard

Nicola Sturgeon spoke out against the banners on display at the Glasgow demonstration on Saturday

Harry Potter author J.K.Rowling, who has clashed with Ms Sturgeon over the Scottish Parliament’s gender identity legislation, raised concerns about the signs

The SNP leader told a press conference: ‘All politicians have an obligation to contribute to debate that is civil and respectful and that’s a responsibility I take seriously and would expect all members of my government and all elected members of my party to take seriously as well.

‘That said, I have attended many demonstrations over my many years in politics now and probably on all of them I’ve seen placards or signs that would not align with my views on the topic of the demonstration.

‘Certainly, from the images I have seen, that was the case at the demonstration on trans rights on Saturday.

‘The placards that I have seen in absolutely no way, shape or form accord with my views and I would condemn the way in which those views were expressed and the views that were expressed there.

‘And I don’t think it is fair or credible to suggest that the elected representatives who were there in any way share or condone those views.’

The Scottish First Minister also highlighted how she herself had been the subject of ‘completely unacceptable’ placards during demonstrations against her gender identity legislation.

‘I think we’ve all got a responsibility to express ourselves, particularly elected representatives, in ways that we think are appropriate and I would certainly say that applies to me and others within my party,’ she added.

But Ms Sturgeon later clarified she was not trying to draw ‘an equivalence’ between offensive placards about her and those that appeared to encourage violence against women.

Saturday’s demonstration came in the wake of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to use a Section 35 power to block the Scottish Parliament’s Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from becoming law.

The Glasgow demonstration came in the wake of Westminster’s block on tjhe Scottish Parliament’s gender identity reforms

Ms Sturgeon claimed both Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, and Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, had snubbed an invitation to appear before MSPs

Ms Sturgeon today hit out at senior Westminster politicians for declining to appear before a Holyrood committee to explain the UK Government’s decision.

She said: ‘If you are going to outrageously and unacceptably ride roughshod over the democratically-elected Scottish Parliament.

‘And seek to overturn decisions that the democratically-elected Scottish Parliament has arrived at, you should at least have the guts to turn up before a committee of the democratically-elected Scottish Parliament and set out your reasons for doing so and answer questions on that.’

The First Minister claimed that both Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, and Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, had snubbed an invitation to appear before MSPs.

‘The fact that Alistair Jack and Kemi Badenoch, so far, have declined to do so I think says quite a lot about the absence of confidence they have in their own position and how difficult they would clearly find it to answer questions on that from MSPs,’ Ms Sturgeon added.

‘But I hope they will both consider that and change their minds – if they’ve got confidence that they’ve done the right thing and done something that in any way shape or form is democratically defensible then what problem would they have sitting before a Scottish Parliament committee answering questions about it.’

A source close to Mr Jack said the Scottish Secretary had been unable to accept an invitation at very short notice but had not ruled out a possible future appearance.

But the source added that this was very unlikely in the present circumstances as Mr Jack had already set out his reasons for the use of Section 35, while it would be inapproriate due to the likelihood of legal action by the Scottish Government over the decision.

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